


Chasing Happiness

by loknnica



Category: Naruto
Genre: Banter, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Feelings Realization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:55:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23843359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loknnica/pseuds/loknnica
Summary: Shikaku Nara has never been the marrying kind; He gets even more sure of it upon meeting a certain troublesome woman. Until...[Complete]
Relationships: Nara Shikaku/Nara Yoshino
Comments: 138
Kudos: 61





	1. Ordinary Days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lethargicshadowlover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lethargicshadowlover/gifts).



September in Konoha was peculiar. The days were too hot for the clothes you’d put on in the morning and the nights too cold to go without a blanket or two. The thing Shikaku Nara loved most about September was that earthy scent in the air. Somehow, it always felt nostalgic and yet, at the same time, like an opportunity for new beginnings.

He strolled down the streets of his home town and headed to meet his teammates. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio wasn’t merely a combat team, they were also the best of friends. As all friends do, they had their own little rituals. And the tradition was that, every Friday night, they’d have an early dinner together at the All-You-Can-Eat-BBQ, and then they’d head off and go to a bar, get drunk and pick up girls.

The trio met in front of their favourite BBQ for early dinner.

As kids, their rituals never quite included scoping for the fairer sex; they’d added that part in as they grew older. But, the point is that, in their twenty-four years of life, they’d never once broken tradition.

Until today.

“I can’t believe you are breaking _tradition_ ,” Inoichi pouted, spastically waving his drink-bearing hand, spilling some of his liquor on the table.

They sat at their usual booth. Shikaku was already slightly drunk from the pre-meal appetizers. He had forgotten that he’d skipped both breakfast and lunch today, so when he went a little too hard on the drinks, the drinks hit back.

“It’s not breaking tradition!” Chouza insisted. “I’m getting _married_ tomorrow, Inoichi. Besides, the tradition changes as we mature. It always has.”

Shikaku had to admit he was right. As they grew up, they’ve always slightly altered the meaning of tradition, but the heart of it remained the same. It was time for another change.

“Fine, alright,” the blonde gave up, throwing his hands in the air in a dramatic fashion, “you don’t _have_ to be my wingman tonight or pick up chicks with us anymore.”

Chouza smiled and Inoichi made a grimace.

“ _But_ , you do have to drink,” Shikaku added and helpfully handed both his friends two cups of sake each. He’d be damned if he’ll be the only one drunk before dinner was over. “Not too much though; Now that you are our designated guardian, it’s your job to make sure that we don’t die of alcohol poisoning and get home safely. And that Inoichi doesn’t go home with someone…questionable, like that last time.”

Inoichi shrugged and Shikaku vaguely recalled the blonde Inoichi had picked up in a bar a couple of weeks ago, who had turned out to have a rich, carnal knowledge of many, _many_ men of Konoha. He didn’t judge, hell he wasn’t in a place to do so, but he also didn’t want his best friend ending up with a case of syphilis.

“Huh, maybe I’ll like this new regime after all,” Inoichi decided. Shikaku thought back to all the times the two of them had to carry a drunk Chouza home. It was never an easy task. Chouza was always the one who could drink the most, but he was also always the one to go overboard easily. One minute he’d be fine and the next – deadass drunk. “In fact, I love it. I have to warn you though, buddy. Two out of three marriages end in divorce,” Inoichi pushed on.

He caught Chouza rolling his eyes so heard, he was certain they’d get stuck backwards.

“I think I’ll be alright,” Chouza said in a decisive tone, and it meant that the teasing was over.

“Let’s all raise a glass to this new era,” Shikaku proposed, half serious, half mocking and his friends joined him in raising their own cups.

“You laugh now, but you’re next,” Chouza eyed him and he picked up on the confidence in his friend’s voice which sent small chills down his spine.

Shikaku and marriage? Not a chance.

“I don’t think marriage is my kind of thing, big guy,” he laughed it off.

He loved women as much as the next guy, but they were too troublesome for his taste to keep around for too long. He was too lazy to deal with the pressure and expectations of relationships and he’d been called out for the lack of interest in putting any actual effort into the relationship by many girls before. Shikaku thought it was simply against his nature. He wasn’t one to go out of his way just to please others like a well-trained puppy. Besides, he was notoriously stubborn.

For a man who claimed to hate troublesome, he sure seemed to enjoy it. Inoichi had a theory that Shikaku’s passive personality is just a façade, and that he actually loved trouble so much he was going to marry it one day. Chouza agreed. Shikaku thought they were both ridiculous.

“I hear ya brother,” Inoichi patted Shikaku’s shoulder and smirked, “I love being single. There’s no way I’ll ever willingly chain myself to one woman for the rest of my life, when I know there’s thousands of them out there, just waiting for me.” 

“As I recall, you were in a relationship. Trouble in paradise?”

In Shikaku’s experience, Inoichi’s crushes lasted seven days. Exactly seven days. They came and went twice a year. He’d always talk a big game about how he’s so _in love_ , a ‘changed man,’ if you will. Until day seven came. Then he’d grow cold and turn his back like the whole affair hadn’t even happened.

Today would mark day ten of Inoichi’s newest relationship, and Shikaku was starting to worry. 

“That experience is over my friend,” Inoichi reassured him, and he felt shame that this new information gave him joy. He knew it was selfish, but he wasn’t ready to be the only bachelor of the group. 

“Something was off with that whole thing, we never even got to meet her,” Chouza commented and Shikaku nodded along.

“Yeah, like I said, no marriage for me,” Inoichi grinned and threw his arm around Shikaku who confirmed the statement.

“Care to make a bet?” Shikaku heard Chouza propose suddenly.

For a moment everyone was quiet. Akimichi leaned forward slowly, inspecting the faces of his teammates. Shikaku narrowed his eyes and Inoichi rubbed his chin, both somewhat perplexed, but intrigued at the same time.

“You’re on,” the two agreed.

“I bet you’ll _both_ be married by this time next year. _And_ , Shikaku will be the first one to do it. If I’m right, you two will take turns on paying for our traditional dinners for a whole year. And I get to order whatever I want.”

“Fine,” Nara spoke quickly, “But, if you are wrong, you have to cut back on the chips. For a whole year. _Plus,_ it’s your treat every other Friday at the bar,” he said.

“Deal,” Chouza decided and they shook hands.

“This is going to be like taking candy from a kid,” Inoichi whispered to Shikaku.

The bet was set.

“Alright, I’m done with the food. Let’s go hit the bar,” he decided. The trio picked up their stuff, Shikaku paid the bill and they went on.

Their favorite bar was right down the street from their favorite barbecue place. It was spacious, never too crowded, the service was good and cheap and, most importantly, the girls were _hot_. It was all a bar should be. They were regulars for almost 7 years now. They had spent a good deal of money there every weekend. The staff loved them. They tipped well. It was only natural they’d have their own table.

Chouza was beating down a beer, combined with a bag of chips. Inoichi opted for sake again, and Shikaku stuck to the good old shochu.

“I still can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow,” Inoichi said in disbelief as the fact had finally started to really sink in.

Chouza giggled. Shikaku was zoned out, staring somewhere over Inoichi’s head.

“And I can’t believe that guy is the Hokage,” he said, not paying attention to his friends’ conversation as he pointed towards a photograph on the wall.

There were the three of them in the photo, plus one Minato Namikaze, right at this very table, participating in a drinking contest about two years ago.

The Hokage was supposed to be someone who commanded respect. Not that Minato wasn’t fit to be the Hokage; if there’s anyone in the world who was supposed to be one, it was him. It was just hard to have that kind of respect for an authority figure when you’ve also seen him shit-faced drunk on frequent occasions.

“I’ll tell you one thing, that inauguration went better than expected. He seemed so happy with Kushina by his side,” Chouza added gently.

“How about I get us another round, then we can all go home and prep for the big day tomorrow?” Shikaku proposed, trying to ignore Chouza’s overly-romantic thoughts. Specifically, trying to restrain himself from commenting on them.

“Deal,” his friends agreed.

Shikaku flashed them a smile and went over to the bar to get the last round for the night. It was unusually crowded given that it was only nine o’clock, and the place would normally start to get more traffic around ten. There were a lot of people at the bar waiting to order.

Shikaku found a place behind a petite brunette. He thought she was cute. Plus, he could easily see over her head and call the bartender. The thought of buying a drink for her seemed like a good idea, but he had to get up early tomorrow.

Then again, what’s one more drink?

He was lost in thought, contemplating possible outcomes. He looked in the distance over her. They’ve had a new bartender; he hadn’t even noticed until just now. The poor guy was so overwhelmed by all the people waiting, Shikaku could actually see drops of sweat forming on the kid’s forehead. A minute passed but it seemed like an eternity.

“Geez, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?” The short girl in front of him grunted in displeasure.

He thought he’d make a joke. Break the ice.

“Apparently, you have to have enormous cans,” Shikaku scoffed as he pointed towards the pack of girls who just cut the line and were served immediately. Inoichi will be more than pleased when he sees them.

“Excuse me?” She turned around to face him, her voice harsh and unforgiving. “Are you implying that my breasts aren’t good enough for me to be served?”

Shikaku was confused. For a moment he caught himself look down at her cleavage, which wasn’t half bad. It was no secret he was a boob man. Also, an ass man. He was a man in general. He loved girls and everything about their bodies—no court would convict him. The bad thing was, she noticed him glance down, and he saw bloody murder in her dark eyes.

“N-No, it’s a joke – look at those girls,” he pointed casually, quickly trying to gather back his wits which have apparently decided to abandon him mid-mission. He should’ve seen this coming after all the drinks he’s had. _And they call me a genius_ , he thought.

“You’re such an asshole,” she said spitefully. 

Normally, the comment wouldn’t bother him one bit, but she was completely unjustified in calling him so. All he did was make a joke in an effort to start a conversation with her. He was already regretting his choices.

“Like I said, it was a joke, get over it,” he said plainly.

“What a typical man-thing to do. Insult someone and then pretend that it’s their fault that they took it personally.”

“Look, I’m just trying to get drinks for my friends. I did not mean to insult you,” he sighed.

He saw her eyes go soft for a moment.

“That’s just how bars work. The hottest girls get served first. Then the less hot girls and then the guys.”

The eyes that were soft went back to murderous in a split second and he bit his tongue realizing that he’d screwed up again. This was an off night.

“That’s a great apology.” If the sarcasm in her voice had a kunai, he’d already be dead by now. “Maybe you should learn to respect women instead of staring at their breasts.”

He didn’t even realize that he was looking down her cleavage again until she pointed it out.

“Maybe wear something else then.”

“You think you’re funny?”

“I’ve been told that I can be charming.”

“By who, witless idiots?”

“Now who’s insulting women? You should try to keep that venomous personality of yours in check. Might get you more dates if you pretend to be nice.”

“Ah, predictable. I bet you’ll get a trophy wife who’ll say anything to please you. But, when her boobs start to sag, you’ll realize you have nothing in common with her. Oh, and she’s cheating on you with your best friend.”

Shikaku frowned at the oddly specific description of his future laid out by the girl who had beamed with pride as he got lost in thought. He would never in his dear life hit a woman, but this one he just wanted to strangle with his bare hands. Who the hell was she to be giving him this much grief about a fucking joke? He didn’t even like girls like that—those were Inoichi’s type.

“Wow,” he said. “You’re a raging bitch.”

He had only so little patience, and he wasn’t about to waste it on her. But he never could help himself when it came to firing back. “At least I’ll have a wife and someone to share a bed with. You on the other hand will die alone, all thanks to your _charming_ personality.”

He noticed her face go slightly red. He knew he was going overboard and gambling with the danger of being kicked in the nuts, but there was no going back now.

“At least I have one,” she bruised back.

“That’s actually a great joke.”

“Thanks, but I must admit that you are the one with the best joke here. The one in your pants,” she said, casually firing a finger to his crotch.

“I’m sorry, Shikaku-san,” a waiter interrupted. Now? Seriously? Before _his_ turn and after a personal insult like _that_? He was half glad to be quite honest, because what he was about to say next would have probably earned him a couple of days in a hospital wing.

“Oh, it has a name,” the girl scoffed. Shikaku made a grimace at her.

“I didn’t realize you were a regular. I’m new here,” the kid said. “Here are your drinks. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“Why thank you...” Shikaku narrowed his eyes at the nametag, “Kaiba.” He took the drinks, then looked mischievously at the brown-headed girl who was burning with hot rage. “I guess I was wrong. They serve hot girls, then regulars and then ugly girls,” he smirked, and skipped away back to his table before she could say anything else. 

* * *

It was the day of Chouza’s wedding. And everyone he knew was at the Akimichi compound today. A big celebration was in order. It’s not every day that the heir to one of Konoha’s four noble clans gets married. The wedding was set to have three main courses and a cake. Chouza wanted more, but they were on a budget. A tight one. Being a war veteran jounin wasn’t at all as glorious as it sounded.

For the wedding gift, Shikaku and Inoichi decided to book a short honeymoon for the newlyweds. It was nothing extra; three days at a spa right outside of Konoha. Chouza was an active duty shinobi, so the actual honeymoon would have to wait for a couple of months. But they thought the long weekend at the spa would be enough for the start.

The ceremony was short and sweet, then followed with a celebration at the Akimichi compound.

“Say Chouza, who’s that?” Inoichi inquired and Shikaku glanced in the distance to where his friend was gesturing to.

“He’s a politician. He was my wife’s neighbor while they were growing up.” Shikaku noticed a hint of pride in his friend’s voice at the word _wife_. It was sweet, even though he couldn’t understand it.

“Yeah, that’s great buddy,” Inoichi threw his arm around Chouza and tilted him slightly to the left, “but I was actually talking about the broad next to him. The tall one. Who’s she?”

“Oh, she’s his fiancé.”

“Damn. How do creepy looking dudes like that always get such hotties?” Inoichi asked, and Shikaku couldn’t help thinking the same thing. It was an uncanny phenomenon, and they saw examples of it every day around town.

“Beats me,” Chouza shrugged. “Fellas, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go join my lovely bride now.”

“You think I should go talk to her?” Inoichi asked, still staring at the girl, paying zero attention to Chouza’s departure.

“To an _engaged_ woman? No.” Shikaku patted his friend’s shoulder. “I think you’ll have to let this one go, buddy.”

Inoichi was a ladies’ man, but some lines weren’t meant to be crossed.

“If I ever get married, it would be to a girl like her,” Inoichi decided, and Shikaku stared in disbelief. Was Yamanaka actually talking about… marriage?

“How can you say that? You don’t even know the girl.”

“I don’t know man,” Inoichi said, still staring, “there’s just something about her.”

“Ok, now you have me worried. Do you _want_ to pay for Chouza’s meals for a whole year? You do know how much he eats, right?”

“Relax man, you know me,” Inoichi reassured him. “Hell will freeze over before I get married. But you, my friend, are heading towards a disaster. How much do you wanna bet you’re into that girl that pissed you off last night?”

Neither Inoichi nor Chouza quite managed to get a glimpse of the woman that had riled up Shikaku Nara, to the point where he’d spent the rest of the evening complaining about some horrible bitch he’d met. So, naturally, his friends were curious to see this mystery woman he claimed was a demon made of hellfire.

* * *

Inoichi didn’t want to say anything else, but he thought it was peculiar that Shikaku was so annoyed by this one bossy girl. Lord knows they’ve met their share of crazies at the bar. And not one has ever made Shikaku Nara lose his cool.

Until yesterday.

He was dying to know who this girl was.


	2. The Mission

It was a noon on a Monday. Shikaku’s least favorite day. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was already in the Hokage’s office reporting for duty. Minato sat behind the desk, with the most serious face Shikaku has ever seen him wear. It was strange seeing him sit in that chair but nevertheless, Shikaku was proud of him. When he wasn’t acting as a part of team Ten, he was Minato’s advisor and right-hand man.

“Chouza, I’m sorry to have to do this so soon after your wedding, but I have a mission for the three of you,” he said apologetically. Chouza waved it off with a polite smile. Anyone else would’ve been pissed in his place.

“It’s alright. We’ve had the weekend to ourselves,” he grinned. A small smile danced on Shikaku's lips. He felt the urge to bump fists with Inoichi, but he knew that it was inappropriate, so they just exchanged knowing looks.

“So, what’s the mission?” Shikaku asked, and Minato started elaborating right away.

“We have a situation. Our Feudal Lord Ichirou is sending his granddaughter to marry a certain Lord Hiroshi from Kirigakure. For those of you who are unaware, these two families have been in a longstanding feud. It’s been escalating again lately, so Lord Hiroshi proposed this as a sign of treaty. And in return for the princess’s hand, he will send seven cases of gold bars to Lord Ichirou.”

 _Is that what princesses are worth nowadays_ , Shikaku though. He had been accused of being sexist many times before, but at least he hadn’t traded women for gold.

“To my understanding, Lord Hiroshi has also promised to sign a centennial peace treaty with Konoha, but only after bedding the girl. I’m sure you all understand what’s at stake here. If the peace treaty isn’t signed, it could mean war with Kirigakure. And I for one would like to avoid that,” Minato explained.

Shikaku had never heard of this Lord Hiroshi before, and he wasn’t sure what to make of him just yet.

“In conclusion. You are to escort the princess safely to Kiri, and make sure that their Lord signs this document, _no matter what_. Right next to his name, Chouza Akimichi will sign as a representative of Lord Ichirou, as the Lord himself is too old to travel. Here’s the official authorization,” he handed over a sealed piece of paper to Chouza who accepted it.

“Shikaku, you are taking point on this one. Lord Hiroshi said he’ll provide carriages for the gold he plans on sending back, so I think the three of you are more than enough to escort the princess. Ah, and here she is,” Minato finished and gestured to the door where stood Kushina with the princess.

The three of them all turned to look. His friends smiled politely, but Shikaku’s face fell as he suddenly felt like hell itself is coming down onto him. She wore different clothes, but it was definitely _her_.

“You’ve got to be shitting me?!” He said very loudly, quickly forgetting about the formalities that the situation normally called for.

The redhead shot him a death stare, and he could also hear Inoichi let out a silent ‘Oh, boy’. Chouza looked mortified and puzzled at the same time.

“I shit you not,” Kushina said, visibly irritated. “Where are your manners, Shikaku?” She eyed him threateningly, and it was a look that could send chills down any man’s spine. He was no exception. But, he was otherwise too occupied with other thoughts to worry about the redhead. “Pardon him, princess, he’s probably drunk,” he heard her whisper to the girl, who had been fuming.

“You, _again_?!” The girl screamed. “Out of all the people in this bloody town, it’s _you_ who is supposed to be my escort?!”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Inoichi got a nervously puzzled look on his face. Kushina looked at Minato for explanation, but he seemed to be even more perplexed than she was.

“That’s _Medusa_ ,” Shikaku said. It was his nickname for her. He didn’t know her name, and he had to call her something. _Demon made of hellfire_ doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. “Do _you_ _two_ know each other?” He turned to Inoichi.

“Oh boy,” Inoichi sighed. “This is _Yoshino_.”

 _Yoshino_.

It was the name of the girl that Inoichi had just broken up with. Shikaku and Chouza had never met her, but they’ve heard an earful of stories about her. Coincidentally, she was also the girl Shikaku had hoped never to see again. The day had taken a turn for the worse. Much worse. Trouble never seemed to sleep.

Chouza closed his eyes and shook his head in utter exasperation. Minato supported the sides of his forehead with his hands, and Kushina just frowned.

“Hokage-sama, I want to request a different team as my escort,” Yoshino demanded, and she did it so gracefully, you could almost mistake it for a humble request. Shikaku thought she was an entitled brat. _Princesses._

“I’m afraid that can’t happen,” Minato explained calmly. Shikaku noticed how he was careful about his words. “It has to be _this_ team. I see that you don’t get along well – or at all, but you have to trust my judgement on this one, lady Yoshino.”

 _Tsk, what lady,_ Shikaku thought to himself. If you ask him, she was nothing but a wench. What kind of a princess goes to bars anyway? She crossed her arms in displeasure, but didn’t protest any further. At least she had the good sense not to argue about things she knew nothing about, he mused.

“Inoichi,” Kushina approached him, her index finger found its way to his nose. “Behave.”

A simple, yet a very effective threat. Of course, it wouldn’t have been the same if anyone else had said the same words. Kushina had an attitude that instilled fear even in the bravest of men. Shikaku knew that that was enough to make Inoichi’s balls shrink from the mere thought of defying her.

“When do we leave?” He finally asked.

“In two hours. Go prepare and regroup at the gates of Konoha. Take this document,” he handed the treaty to Shikaku. “Kushina will escort Lady Yoshino to the gates and then you can be on your way.”

* * *

He hated escort missions, but it payed big cash when feudal lords were the ones requesting such services.

Still, something about the mission bothered him. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about the whole damn thing. Another thought that vexed him was the fact that he had to spend five to six days with _her_. Murder-suicide started to look like a pretty good option just about now.

He was the first one at the gates.

Shikaku was lazy, but he was prompt. As the team leader, he never failed to be punctual. He was staring at the distance behind the gates, mentally preparing for several days of traveling. With the most annoying human being on the planet.

It couldn’t have been a nice young lady. No. That would have been too much to ask. His typical damn luck. Not only did he dislike her with burning passion, she was also his best friend’s ex. That ought to be a disaster.

Inoichi was the first of his teammates to show up.

“I almost feel sorry for you,” Shikaku said bluntly as his friend approached, voicing his thoughts almost unexpectedly. “I’m surprised she didn’t murder you and eat you after you two had sex.”

“Really? Again, with the mantis jokes? C’mon man, you’re better than that.”

“I’m really not,” he shrugged.

How was it possible that Inoichi even _liked_ this girl? How was it possible he lasted ten days with her? She was bossy and troublesome. And no boobs are worth that amount of trouble.

“I think you like her,” the blonde teased.

Shikaku made a vomiting face. The thought of having to go on an actual date with the she-devil did not seem like something he’d care to waste his energy on. Before he could comment on the absurdity of Inoichi’s words, Chouza arrived with Kushina and Yoshino.

She eyed him with pure disgust on her face, he almost began to wonder if he was truly that big of a dick or was it just her that thought so. The thought of questioning himself did not sit well with him, and it’s not something he would normally ever do. It was all her fault. Shikaku couldn’t understand what exactly was it about this woman that drove him so mad.

The company left immediately, with no time to waste. Soon enough, Konoha was far behind their backs.

They walked until dusk.

Shikaku had hoped that she would be silent, but boy, was he wrong. She did not shut up _once_. She’s been complaining about the whole affair of the arranged marriage ever since her foot stepped over Konoha gate’s trench. Not to forget, about the part where her entourage consisted of _him_.

She didn’t seem to mind Chouza, or even Inoichi. Which was somewhat odd, to despise him so much because of the several minutes of bickering, yet to have no resentment towards an ex-boyfriend. And an ex-boyfriend _Inoichi_ nonetheless _._ Shikaku knew his friend all too well to know that he doesn’t quite…commit. His exes usually bore him some ill will, if only for that fact.

He began to wonder what was she even doing with a shinobi in the first place? Isn’t she a lady in high standing? And why, of all the fancy places in Konoha, was she in _their_ bar? Princesses were supposed to be delicate, or timid. This one was nowhere near that description. If anything, she was more like a peasant. A male one.

The road had led them through the forest, and they had to set up a camp in the woods for the first night. Chouza built a fire that helped to keep them warm, but also to keep the mosquitos and other insects at bay. They were all gathered around the warmth of the flames.

He would go so far to call the evening pleasant had it not been for the story she was telling them about the tragedy that is her life, always putting the duty to her family first, never having the life she wanted, etcetera. He never knew a human being could be as obnoxious as she was.

“What are you even complaining about?” He finally snapped at her. It had been the first time he’d spoken to her ever since their encounter in the Hokage building. “You’re going to marry a Lord, live in a castle and the only worry you’ll have in the world is choosing what dress to wear. I’m sure that’s what every princess wants. You do realize that some people have actual problems like oh, I don’t know, poverty and starvation?” 

For a moment it seemed like she was about to cry.

He was well aware that he was way out of the line. No girl wanted an arranged marriage, no matter who the man was, he knew that. He just wanted to piss her off enough so that she’ll go inside her tent and he can finally have some peace and quiet.

“You’re such an arrogant prick!” She reached over to punch his shoulder and stormed into her tent, zipping it clumsily while still cussing to herself.

She was a small little thing, but she really knew how to put her weight behind a blow, he had to give her at the least that. Even though she annoyed the living hell out of him, Shikaku thought she was cute when she was angry.

And that thought scared the shit out of him.

“Dude,” Chouza said judgmentally, “that was uncalled for.”

“I know.”

He felt bad. Sure, she was mean and entitled, but given everything that he’s heard her say about her family, her life sure as hell wasn’t easy.

“Now I feel bad for her,” the blonde added. Inoichi developing a conscience certainly didn’t help Shikaku feel better about the whole thing.

“Me too. I mean, she dated _you_ ,” Chouza teased. “I still have troubles wrapping my mind around that.”

Shikaku did too.

“At least it’s quiet now,” he said, but then it hit him.

It was a little _too_ quiet.

He jumped up from the seat and entered her tent only to find it empty. She snuck out the back.

“God I hate it when they run,” he sighed. “I’ll go get her.”

With that he leaped into the woods in search for Yoshino.

She couldn’t have gone too far. They’ve let her out of their sight for only two minutes. She must have hidden somewhere nearby. The fact that she thought she could outrun three trained shinobi amused him endlessly. Maybe she really was a princess; only one of those would even think that this pathetic strategy would work in the first place. It wasn’t long before he sensed her.

She was hiding in an old hollow tree trunk.

“Nice try, princess, but too predictable,” he called her out. No answer.

He let out an exasperated sigh. She was really determined to not make any of this easier for him. His hands performed seals and streaks of shadow ran from his feet to the inside of the trunk.

 _Success_ , he said to himself. He didn’t have to move his feet to get her to move. All he had to do was will his shadow to do his bidding. She was soon out in the light, taking gentle steps towards him, with hatred burning in her eyes so fiercely, he could almost physically feel it hurt on his skin.

“Are you going to behave or will I have to force you to walk back as well?”

She didn’t say a word, and she didn’t try to move.

“Suit yourself,” Shikaku forced a smile and then used shadow imitation technique to make her walk beside him compliantly.

He noticed tears forming in the corner of her eyes but she never let them fall. Her chin remained leveled with the ground, her posture proud and defiant still, even if she couldn’t do anything to break from his jutsu. Her clothes and face were dirty but somehow, she appeared to radiate grace for the first time since he’s known her. If she weren’t so troublesome, he’d probably think she’s the strongest woman he had ever met.

She was shivering slightly from the cold air in the forest. If he were a gentleman, he’d lend her his uniform vest. The leaves on the ground crumbled under their steps as they made their way back to the base.

“Anko, definitely Anko!” Inoichi said without even realizing Shikaku was back with little-miss-runaway, Yoshino.

“You playing that game again?” Shikaku seated himself and Yoshino next to the fire. He wanted to put her back in the tent, but she was shaking as it is. Not letting her warm up first would be plain cruel.

“He’s making me,” Chouza said unimpressed, with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“What’s the game?” He heard her ask in a low, almost timid voice, one he hasn’t heard before.

All eyes were suddenly on her.

“Well, if I have to be here, I might as well try to have some fun,” she snapped at them ferociously, and he had already forgotten the gentle sound that had escaped her lips only moments prior.

“It’s not a game for a lady,” Chouza said, “we can play a different one.”

“C’mon, it sounded like it was fun, tell me what’s the game?”

“Ok, Yoshino, here’s how it works. We present you with two options, and you chose which guy of the two you would rather – you know…” Inoichi started to explain, much to Chouza’s dismay. The blonde never needed to be asked twice.

“Fuck with,” Shikaku finished helpfully with the most vicious grin on his face.

He enjoyed pissing her off. Inexplicably, it gave him a twisted sense of arousal when those striking eyes of hers shot at him. So, he vowed to keep doing it as often as possible. If she was going to make his life miserable, he sure as hell will return the favor.

“I got it, Shikaku,” Yoshino glared at him. Her eyes looked somewhat beautiful under the stars, and for a second there he _almost_ forgot he hated her.

“You game?” Chouza asked, half embarrassed that his friends have forgotten all about their manners, Shikaku could tell by the light blush that came across his cheeks.

“Sure.”

“Oh, one more thing. When we ask Shikaku, we don’t give Lady Tsunade as an option. He always picks her,” Inoichi added.

Shikaku fought the urge to punch him, and remained composed.

“You don’t say,” Yoshino seemed pleased with the information she had just received. “He picks the one with the huge boobs. _Shocker_.”

“It’s not just the boobs,” Chouza said, another wave of blushing on his cheeks noticeable after the use of that word. “He’s had a long-lasting crush on her ever since we watched her fight on her first chunin exams.”

Shikaku’s face showed no expression, yet deep down he wanted to kill both of his friends.

Lady Tsunade was a sore spot for him, and his friends knew it. Revealing such information to the she-devil he hated with burning passion was not his idea of confidentiality his friends have vowed to uphold. Luckily for him, Shikaku had a natural poker face nobody could read and he, on the other hand, could always see right through everyone’s.

This talent came in handy from time to time. Like on poker nights.

He was looking at Yoshino. She seemed to be amused by the sudden disclosure of Shikaku’s weakness, but there was something else he’s picked up on her face. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he felt a fleeting sensation of unease in his stomach.

“Ok, Yoshino, a question for you,” Chouza rubbed his palms together. He seemed happy.

A little too happy if you asked Shikaku.

“Would you rather… Inoichi or Shikaku?”

 _Damn you, Chouza._ Shikaku thought. For someone who was apparently a nice guy, he sure knew how to burn you without a second thought.

“Inoichi,” she replied instantly and without blinking, completely unappeased at the question. She expected it, he noted.

And her reply was nothing but obvious. After all, he used to be her boyfriend. However, Shikaku was deeply troubled to learn that her answer had actually made him feel _something_.

He couldn’t have been… _jealous_? The mere thought of it sounded utterly preposterous. Shikaku Nara took pride in being the non-jealous type of guy, and he was not about to have his reputation tainted over a ridiculous game.

Once the light had gone out and it was time for bed, Inoichi offered to take the first watch.

Of course, he’d do that. Shikaku knew all of his tricks. Even though his exes hated Yamanaka, not one of them has ever refused a post-break-up-fling with him. And this one seemed to not hate him _at all_.

Shikaku laid in his sleeping bag. The only sounds he could hear were Chouza’s light snoring and some crickets. And he was used to both by now. It sounded kind of soothing. Chouza said he’d take the second watch, so Shikaku was looking at full four hours of continuous slumber.

Pleased by the prospect of it, he laid in his sleeping bag, slowly falling asleep.

 _“You can’t tell anyone.”_ He barely heard Inoichi’s whisper outside the tent.

 _“I won’t_.” She replied.

* * *

“Rise and shine, princess,” she was startled from her sleep and darted up when he entered her tent.

As soon as she saw his face it was obvious; he didn’t care much for the volume of his voice and did it deliberately. He just couldn’t let her at least wake up nicely.

“Had a good night of _sleep_?” Shikaku asked, and he seemed far too cocky for her taste.

“I hate you,” she meekly mumbled into her chin while rubbing her eyes violently.

It took her a couple of minutes to wake up completely before she could actually get up. She barely slept through the night. Although the sleeping bag kept her warm, the ground wasn’t comfortable in the slightest.

Her back ached. She’d never slept anywhere else but her own bed, and the bag couldn’t compare to the feathery matrass she had at home. It sounded weird calling that house a home, when it always felt more like a prison. But it was the only kind she knew.

The trip from hell is going to be even worse now that the three of them will never let her out of their sight again. They’ve decided she was a flight risk, and had to be watched _at all times_. They weren’t wrong, but it made her operation ‘Freedom’ a lot harder.

“Put your back into it, princess, we have to go. I’ll give you some privacy so you can change, but I am right outside, so don’t even think about running away. I’m not in the mood to chase you.”

“Oh, no, poor me,” she mocked, pretending to be hurt by his words, “ if only I had bigger tits, you’d be bending over backwards for me.”

He didn’t respond to her provocation, which left her feeling a little disappointed, not that she’d ever admit it.

She got up and got dressed. She hated that he was there. She hated just about everything right now. All she wanted to do was kick and scream and cry, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t show weakness. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to give _him_ the satisfaction of seeing her hurt.

When she was done dressing, her escort rolled up the tents, and they carried on forward.

They were still walking through the forest, and there was mud everywhere. It was sticky, it clung to her shoes and she could barely lift her feet. She almost slipped and feel at one instant, but Shikaku grabbed her hand violently and pulled her towards him. He thought she was going to run.

“God, I _slipped_. You are such a neanderthal,” she jerked her hand out of his grip.

Attempting to escape was a part of her plan, but she had to be smart about it. She needed a real strategy. She had exactly two more days until they’d reach the harbor. She’d have to make a run for it while they were still in the Land of Fire. Once they got on a ship, it will be impossible for her to run anywhere.

Two days. She had two days to make a perfect escape plan, and failure _wasn’t_ an option.

Her escort was the biggest problem of all. She knew that if she managed to escape, there’d be hell to pay for them. Chouza was a nice guy. She liked him best out of all three of them, he was decent. He didn’t deserve to be punished for her selfish actions, but she knew she wasn’t going to change her mind about running either. She thought Inoichi was your typical dumb blonde, but at least he was funny. Shikaku was infuriating, and him she’d gladly let pay for her crimes.

She decided she’ll leave them all of her money before running, to compensate for the punishment they’d receive. It was the decent thing to do. And she’ll find a job to make a living for herself.

Yoshino was lost in thought when she noticed Shikaku was eying her with a suspicious look on his face, almost like he could read her thoughts. Terrified of the possibility, she put on her tough exterior which, if she was being honest, probably wasn’t so tough anymore.

“Why are you staring at me?” She snapped harshly.

Yoshino was an excellent liar. Her younger sister always said that she could be an actress one day. She never truly wanted that, but the idea of being _someone_ sat nicely with her. She just wanted to be a _person_. Her own person, and not her family’s property. To make her own life, earn her own money, and build her own path.

Truthfully, she always wanted to be a kunoichi. Possibly because she was raised to act like a fragile little flower, which she wasn’t. She was fierce, she had thorns and she was a storm. Being a ninja would mean she could display all of her strength and confidence in all their glory. Not give a damn about what the world would think.

She was born into a royal family, but she was meant to be so much more than a pawn in state and family affairs.

“You’re awfully quiet today. It’s nice,” he simply replied, adding fuel to the already raging fire in the pit of her stomach. The nerve on this man.

“Hey, listen! I need to have my lunch in peace, so can you two just promise to not argue while we eat?” Chouza scolded before Yoshino could retaliate. “After we eat you can go back at each other's throats, just – don’t ruing my meal, ok?”

They didn’t say anything, but a silent agreement had been reached.


	3. Troublesome woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been editing and re-reading this chapter so much and for so long that it barely makes sense to me right now. It hasn't been properly beta-read yet though, so forgive any grammar/spelling errors.

“He likes her, I’m telling you.”

“He seems to hate her.”

“Not everything is as it seems.”

“I think your wife’s romantic personality is starting to rub off on you.”

“Tsk, it’s not like that.”

“Just don’t go too soft on us, Chouza.”

“I still think he likes her.”

“I know he does.”

“So, you agree?”

“Of course I agree.”

“Then why are we arguing?”

* * *

Yoshino was sitting by the fire, staring at the flying yellow sparks.

The crackling sound was soothing. If she weren’t headed to her own execution, as she referred to it, she might have actually enjoyed this trip. Shikaku was setting up her tent, and Chouza and Inoichi were in the woods looking for some berries for dinner. The whole day had passed, and she was still nowhere near a solution for her unfortunate destiny.

“Shikaku,” she called him softly, her eyes still focusing the flames in front of her. Her periphery vision picked up on the stop of his movement, as he angled his body towards her.

“What is it?” He’d asked her kindlier than she’d expected him to.

“Are there any towns on our route?”

“Yes.”

“Can we sleep in a motel tomorrow?” She finally looked at him. He was standing above her, looking down straight into her eyes.

“You’ll be sleeping in a chamber on a ship tomorrow,” he said calmly, returning to his chore and leaving her mortified.

The thought sent chills straight down her spine. She felt a disturbing warmth on her face, that slowly spread down to her chest and then her stomach where it met the coldness from her legs and cut her in half.

_One day left._

She was banging her head the whole day, trying to come up with a plan. Any kind of plan. She threw perfection out the window about twelve hours ago. All she wanted to do is escape. But she knew that acting on impulse would have been a huge mistake. She could not possibly outrun three trained shinobi, she’d learned her lesson the first night when Shikaku found her within two minutes.

The only thing she could try to do is outsmart them.

Yoshino kept staring at the fire, kept hoping that the answer to her troubles will present itself to her. But all she could think about were her sore feet. She’s never walked this much before, and could now actually feel the blisters forming. She would kill for a foot massage just about now.

“We’ve got dinner!”

Yoshino twitched suddenly, hearing Chouza’s voice. He and Inoichi have just emerged from the woods, hands full of nature’s delicious treats.

“Shikaku, look at these berries I’ve found, I’ve never seen them before.”

“I don’t think we have these in Konoha,” Inoichi said.

The two seemed proud with their discovery. Yoshino observed Shikaku as he approached his friends to look at these perfectly round and plump berries in Chouza’s hand. Her mouth was starting to water, she didn’t even realize how hungry she was until now. It had seemed like lunch was ages ago.

“I’ve never had these,” Chouza said excitedly. Shikaku stood in front of him and studied the goods in his hands.

“I should hope so. They are poisonous,” he simply replied.

Chouza dropped the handful on the ground, seeming betrayed by the food he wanted to taste so badly.

“Crap, I almost tasted one back where we found them,” Inoichi’s voice cracked and he shrugged violently.

“Well one couldn’t have killed you. It would have just induced some stomach pain and vomiting within fifteen minutes,” Shikaku explained.

“How do you know?” Yoshino asked Shikaku who only gave her a pretentious grin. God she hated that smug face of his, no matter how handsome he may have looked with the chiseled jawline and his high cheek bones. Hell, even the scars on his face were attractive.

“He’s a Nara,” Inoichi said, and the plain explanation was more than enough.

The name was too familiar. She’d heard of the clan and Nara forest when she was a little girl. The mystery of it was too curious and tempting for her. Everybody knew the legend that claimed that only clansmen were allowed into the forest, like there was some sort of a magical bond between them and the deer.

The Naras were also well known for their herbal knowledge, and intelligence overall. And the fact that this arrogant prick was from that esteemed clan was inexplicable.

“I guess we’ll stick with the safe yellows then,” Chouza shrugged.

They joined Yoshino and seated themselves around the crackling fire. Shikaku was sitting right across from her, and she couldn’t peel her eyes off of him.

Her mind was still processing the information she’d received. It was like she was looking at him with a whole other set of eyes. Almost like she… _respected_ him. But that was impossible. She hated him, and hated him with burning passion. He was galling, rude and arrogant. And his closeness made her feel unease.

“I’m going for a walk,” she jumped up and soon realized that they were looking at her like she was mad. She almost forgot that she had to be under constant surveillance. No way in hell will they let her walk out alone. “I need to pee.”

“Fine,” Shikaku said plainly, and her eyes widened at the surprise. His were fixated on hers.

She felt her heart beat a little faster. Uneased again. It felt like he was setting her up, and she had almost asked if he really meant it.

“Just know that if you try to run, Inoichi here works at the Interrogation department and knows a cute little mind trick,” he threatened casually. There it was, this was the Shikaku she expected; still reliably rude to her as per usual.

Without a word, Yoshino nodded and walked further into the woods.

 _For heaven’s sake girl, get a hold of yourself! You can’t possibly like him_?

Her palms were sweating and hands shaking. Without even realizing it, she started pacing around in circles.

_No. Shake it off. He’s an ass and you are better than this._

She took a deep breath, feeling the vibration on her ribs. Relaxed her shoulders and circled her head slowly. Unclenched her jaw. Another deep breath and then she exhaled. She stood there for a moment, and then she steadily walked back to the camp.

When she returned, they didn’t even flinch. Not surprised at the slightest that she didn’t make a run for it. Remembering the way Shikaku had looked at her before, she felt exposed, as if he’d seen right through her face.

Yoshino sat on the ground and stared at the red berries still spilled all over the soil.

* * *

Shikaku was laying on the ground, his hands folded at the back of his head, looking up at the starry sky. Looks like the weather will be kind tomorrow. He’d hoped for good winds to carry their ship as fast as possible because he could not wait to be done with this god forsaken mission from hell.

It was his time for the watch. Only one more hour until Inoichi takes turn. Shikaku took the middle shift. And he hated it. He preferred being at the end or the beginning of the watch. Taking middle was troublesome. He did not like his sleep interrupted and he could never quite rest well. But the turns had to be evenly assigned, to be fair.

He noticed small traces of clouds in the sky, which had usually made him relaxed. However, that wasn’t the case in this particular situation. That little minx was too quiet today, and to Shikaku it only meant one thing– she was up to something.

She, much like the middle shift, was too troublesome for his taste. A little too opinionated and a little too loud. Yet today, she kept too much to herself.

He sat up, suddenly too aware of the hardness of the ground beneath his back. He arched his spine to straighten it, when he heard a soft noise coming from his left.

He spotted Yoshino peeping out of her tent, looking a little bit disillusioned.

“Disappointed I’m not Inoichi?” He teased and she narrowed her eyebrows.

“Not sure what you’re implying, Nara.”

“Oh, nothing, _Lady_ Yoshino,” this time it seemed as though she noticed the hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Don’t worry, he’ll be out in a minute or two. I would hate to impose on you lovebirds.”

“We broke up.”

“I heard.”

He sensed it from the murderous look in her eyes that she wanted to slap him right there. And he was determined to keep pushing his luck.

“Checking in for the guard duty,” Inoichi announced, but soon stopped in his tracks uncertainly taking turns in looking at both of them. It was obvious that he had suspected he was interrupting something. 

But there was nothing to interrupt really; he was just being civil to the girl he hated and who hated him back even more, exchanging occasional subtle insults. The only thing Inoichi had robbed him of was the pleasure of seeing her striking eyes glisten in the moonlight.

“Checking out,” Shikaku said, making way to his tent and keeping his eyes stuck to hers.

* * *

Shikaku woke up to the loud noise that was Yoshino’s voice.

She was arguing with Inoichi about a politics. Of all the things in this world, she had an interest in _politics_ , and by the way she spoke it was clear that she was intensely passionate about it.

He was impressed. It wasn’t every day that he heard a woman speak like that, and with _that_ kind of arguments. She knew her shit; hell, he was positive she would’ve made a better Feudal Lady than her Lord grandfather. It appeared to him that she was someone who was born to be a leader. A true royalty indeed.

His head was buzzing as if he had had a hangover that needed to be nursed for three days, even though he hasn’t tasted a drop of alcohol since before the mission started. He missed it, especially now that she was being obnoxiously loud and talkative again. Tonight, when they board the ship safely, he will drown in a bottle.

The prospect gave him the strength to get up and moving.

Shikaku went out to greet the pair who was still in the middle of a heated debate and didn’t even seem to notice him. Two tents were already packed away and Chouza seemed to still be sleeping. Shikaku started packing his own tent away, all the while listening to the conversation Yoshino and Inoichi were having.

He felt tempted to join in on the debate, but he was certain she hated him too much to give him the satisfaction of a stimulating conversation. He barely held his laugh back when she admitted that she thought Inoichi was “an average dumb blonde,” at first but he had just proven her wrong.

Chouza joined the party promptly after. They had their breakfast which, in Chouza’s opinion, wasn’t nearly enough to give them the strength they needed for the day that laid ahead. Soon enough, they were back on their way.

“You’ve been awfully quiet, Shikaku,” Inoichi noticed. “Especially considering the topic of conversation.”

“Wait,” Yoshino grabbed his forearm to stop him before he could answer. “ _You_ are interested in politics?”

He simply nodded to the question, far too pleased by the hint of approval in her eyes.

Not that he needed her validation in the slightest, but he had to admit, he never expected to see that look on her. Not in a million years. Not when she was looking at him. He’d grown so used to being on the receiving end of her condemning glances that he’d deemed it natural.

“Yes. I listened to your analysis before, and although I do have some differences in opinion, you had some impressive insights, I have to admit,” Shikaku himself could not believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

He was actually _complimenting_ her. And by the look on her face, she was dumbfounded. Utterly stupefied at the not at all hostile words he directed at her.

“Thank you,” she said cautiously, as if she were uncertain of the truth behind his words.

As much as he hated it, he did mean it. He found her way of thinking fascinating, and not just because he didn’t expect such thoughts from a woman. He was starting to forget why he hated her in the first place. She was troublesome, but he was getting used to it.

“Shikaku is also passionate about history,” Chouza chimed in casually, which earned him a questioning look from Shikaku.

“Oh? Have you read the founders era book called _World of Wars_?”

“Woman, I’m a shinobi – of course I did,” he came off sounding like an utter jerk and tried salvaging the pleasant conversation before she unleashed her wrath on him, which he did deserve this _once_. “What did you think about the movie adaptation?”

“Ugh, I hated it,” she frowned and the little wrinkles between her eyebrows were suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world to him.

“Same,” he said with a dose of wonder and caution in his voice.

“Are you two actually– _getting along_?” Inoichi cut in.

“Shh, you’ll break the spell!” Chouza elbowed him.

“Mind if we stop by the post office in the next town? I want to send a letter to my friend back home,” Yoshino asked hopefully. “I never got the chance to say goodbye to her, because my _lord_ grandfather decided he had to ship me off with one day notice.”

Shikaku noted the mockery and bitterness in her voice that was ever so present whenever she mentioned her family and her current predicament.

“Actually, I also wanted to stop by their local dango shop, so it’s not a bad idea. Plus we are ahead of time anyway. Shikaku?” Chouza joined her cause.

Shikaku sighed. “It’s all the same to me.”

 _Lay low on your way there_ , Minato had told him the day their mission was assigned to them, after everyone left the Hokage’s office except for Shikaku.

That meant no hotels, no restaurants, no dropping by any towns. This town in particular however, Shikaku knew to be safe. It was very small and secluded; no local criminal activity has ever been reported. And Minato had approved of it himself in case any stops had to be made.

“You can get thirty minutes tops, though. We are in a hurry.”

“Why so hasty,” Inoichi teased. “Is there an ex-girlfriend in the town that you are trying to avoid?”

Yamanaka elbowed him, and he pushed him away with a smirk.

“Not everything I do has to involve sex, you know?”

“You could’ve fooled me,” the blonde laughed.

Shikaku shook his head and smiled. He took a secret glance Yoshino’s way who was now happily conversing with Chouza about that dango shop he had mentioned earlier, paying zero attention to them.

 _It’s for the best_ , Shikaku thought. She would’ve probably just given him a hard time about it, called him a womanizing asshole, and then he’d have to retaliate – and it would’ve just made another day go to hell. He preferred to be left in peace for a while.

They’d reached the town within two hours. Shikaku and Inoichi escorted Yoshino to the local post office, while Chouza went off two blocks south to get the dangos for everyone.

The lines in the small post office were long. It also lacked air conditioning. There was no way they had the time to wait. Shikaku was going to make them leave but, luckily for her, Yoshino informed them that she had a connection. She walked behind the counter marked with number two, and greeted a skinny blonde girl, who seemed ecstatic to see her. She introduced her to them as her childhood friend. Apparently, they’d met when Yoshino and her family summered at their beach house nearby.

While Inoichi was busy eyeing her cute friend, Shikaku sulked in the fact that he’d probably never be able to go on a beach vacation.

Yoshino handed the letter to her friend and asked her to be careful with it. After a brief five minutes they were already done at the post office, and Chouza was waiting right outside for them, hands full of treats for everyone.

* * *

“What do you mean the ship isn’t here yet?” Shikaku demanded harshly. The harbor employee had informed them that their ship will be running late due to some maintenance issues. “Do you realize that the maintenance check should have been done _days_ ago?! We are not shipping potatoes here. This is Konoha’s _princess_ ,” he pointed at the skinny girl who was standing in between Inoichi and Chouza.

“I apologize, sir, please don’t yell at me. I’m just supposed to give out information that my supervisors give me,” Shikaku knew it wasn’t his fault, but dammit, he was pissed. He’d been dreaming about a bottle of beer, soft bed and a full night of sleep for days. Killing the messenger seemed like a good idea but alas, he restrained his murderous urges.

“It’s fine, we can go have a dinner in a restaurant while we wait,” Chouza suggested, tugging at Shikaku’s vest and pulling him slightly backwards so the harbor employee was safely out of his reach. But the thought did sound nice. They deserved a proper meal.

“There’s a nice restaurant just around the corner from here.” The man suggested. There was something about him that was familiar to Shikaku but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Come on Shikaku, we’re going,” Chouza called him and he snapped back to reality.

The man was right, the restaurant was nice. Nothing too fancy, but it was clean and the service was good and that’s all they cared about. Yoshino seemed very nervous, as expected. She’d been twirling the straw in her drink all evening, but her glass remained half full. She requested to leave for the bathroom and as always, Shikaku was her royal escort.

“When will you stop being my shadow?” She’d asked him while they were heading down to the lobby back to the seating area.

“When you stop trying to run away.”

“I did it _once_ ,” she protested.

“Once was enough.”

“I don’t get it. Yesterday you let me go into the woods alone, and here you’re worried again.”

“Yesterday you were too tired to run. Today is your last chance, you might get desperate.”

“Ok, Shikaku, can I ask you something?” She stopped in her tracks and faced him.

It had seemed like a slight moment of lapse in judgement on her side, when she placed her hands on his chest. He followed the gesture with his eyes, but she quickly removed them. “Why don’t you just let me run away? Look, I’ll give you all the money I have with me. It would last you months.”

“I can’t do that, Yoshino. This is much bigger than money. Peace of our country is at the stake, and I have pledged an oath as a shinobi. And you– you have your own duties as well.”

Yoshino’s chin shivered. She seemed on the edge of tears, he could tell.

“You know, I thought shinobi were supposed to be honorable, brave men who fought for justice, and here you are, just silently handing me over as if I were a sack of potatoes. You know that what they are doing to me is barbaric, and you are helping them anyway. Weren’t you supposed to do right by your honor at the very least, if not mine?”

“I never cared much for honor, I do my job for money,” he lied flatly, and he knew that she saw through his bullshit.

“I thought you just said this was bigger than money,” she crossed her arms, demanding explanation once again.

“Look, I know it sucks, okay,” he said, quickly trying to steer the conversation away from the fact that he spoke without thinking, “I do. But maybe it will turn out for the best. Maybe you’ll end up liking him.”

She groaned in displeasure and slammed her tiny fists onto his chest, but he didn’t budge.

“Do you even know how _old_ he is?” She yelled, “do you know that he is my _grandfather’s_ age? And that he is known for his weakness for young women? Women younger than me! I’ve heard nothing but horrible stories about him. Do you think I could ever love someone like _that_?!”

“I’m sorry, Yoshino. But I can’t help you,” he said stoically, looking down into her furious eyes.

“I hate you.”

“Likewise,” he replied and grabbed her shoulder to make her walk.

“God, Shikaku, please just let me go,” she begged him. “I don’t want to be married to that monster; I will never be happy.”

“Your happiness isn’t really my concern,” he kept pulling her down the corridor. He knew she was going to get desperate; he was prepared for it.

“I just want a normal life. I want to get a job and a small apartment of my own that I can be proud of. I want to know what it’s like to be kissed by a handsome young man, I want-”

Before she could finish the sentence, and against his better judgement, he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into him. She crashed onto his chest, hands resting on his biceps. He moved swiftly and pressed his lips firmly on top of hers and all she ended up doing was squealing under his kiss. And for a moment, for just one moment, he thought he felt her heart skip a beat.

“There, now you know.”

“You are such a caveman!” Her voice broke. She slapped his face so heard his head jerked to the side and then she stormed back to the seating area.

Shikaku rubbed his chin.

He followed her back to the table and took his seat. Her face was red, but she showed no sign of distress. He wouldn’t admit it, but Shikaku half hated himself at this moment. He never meant to kiss her, not really – not like that. It just happened, and he felt deep shame for doing it in such an ungentlemanly manner.

She kept to herself more than he’d expected her to, and it threw him completely off balance. He ought to apologize for what he did later.

* * *

Chouza was vomiting blood in the bathroom and Shikaku was frantically mixing some herbs he had brought with him. They were from the Nara forest and had been used for centuries as a natural remedy for poison. Inoichi was holding Chouza’s forehead and cussing something in his chin.

“Hurry up, Shikaku!”

“In a second,” he yelled as he added the final ingredients to the potion he was making. He ran over to Chouza’s side and poured the contents of the small vial into Chouza’s mouth who swallowed it quickly. “It will take a couple of minutes to work.”

“I can’t believe she did this!” Inoichi had been enraged beyond himself, much like Shikaku. Manners and professionalism be damned, she didn’t deserve the compassion.

“When I find that little bitch, I will kill her,” Shikaku said even though he knew he could not lay a hand on her.

“Let’s go get her before everything goes to crap,” Chouza said as he slowly stood up. He was able to breathe properly again, but was still visibly unwell. Shikaku patted his back and stopped him.

“ _You_ are not coming; you’ve just been poisoned. Go straight to the harbor and wait for us. Get that damn ship ready so we can leave this god forsaken town,” he stared Chouza down with force to stop any attempts at arguing. They were shinobi, and they knew their limits, so Chouza obeyed.

In her attempts to escape, Yoshino has devised a master plan and Shikaku thought himself a fool for not realizing it earlier, but all the pieces fell into place now.

First, she stopped by the post office to send a letter to her friend from home. Shikaku realized that the letter wasn’t meant to be sent at all. It was meant to be read by the girl who worked in a post office. And the familiar looking man from the harbor was obviously the girl’s brother. He hated himself for not piecing the puzzle together sooner.

Both the post office and the harbor had specialized communication lines, much like all establishments of national importance did. The girl had probably informed her brother that Yoshino needed more time to escape. They were her childhood friends, Yoshino said so herself; it was only natural they’d help her. So, they created a diversion.

Next, she ordered a flavored beer, they didn’t think twice about it, it was a girly drink. They teased her about drinking the beverage which all three of them thought ridiculous, but she kept saying how great it is. She had slipped a drop of juice from the poisonous berry she’s been carrying with her the whole time. And she was so clever about it, probably gently squeezing the juice while playing with the straw so that it’s nectar would drip straight into her glass.

Upon returning to the table from the unfortunate trip to the bathroom, Chouza asked her for a sip of the drink she had previously boasted about, naturally.

 _She was probably hoping I would be the one to ask_ , Shikaku thought to himself, because he played the scene over and over in his mind, and he was certain she was reluctant to let Chouza take the drink.

Normally, a couple of drops from the berry’s juice wouldn’t do a lot of damage. The consumer would have had stomach pains and nausea, within minutes of tasting it, which would be a solid diversion. She knew how much they cared about each other, and assumed correctly that they would be tending to whoever sipped the poisonous beer.

What she did not know is that Akimichis were specific. What should have been a case of minor stomach issues turned into a life-threatening situation for Chouza. Had Shikaku not carried his herbs from the Nara forest with him, the outcome of events would have been very different.

He should’ve listened to his gut when it had sent him all the warning signals. He should’ve known that his instinct was right, it always had been. Shikaku was supposed to be the genius and _she_ made him stupid. She had played him like a fiddle and he was furious.

Luckily, he hadn’t lost all of his wits and thought ahead like he usually does, and had a locator jutsu placed on Yoshino while she was asleep on the first night, so they were right on her heels.

Storming the streets of the small harbor town, they ran into the man from the docks. Shikaku jumped him, and landed a fist straight in his face.

“Where is she?!”

“You have to help,” the man pleaded, “they took her! You have to go find her and help her!”

“ _Who_ took her?”

“The Masked men. They are a gang from the town south of here. They know who she is and they intend to ask for ransom money,” he finished explaining and Shikaku furiously slammed him into a wall.


	4. All aboard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit silly to write, as it felt like a soap opera at some point, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope you will too.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”

“She’s the perfect size for me. Maybe I’ll take her here and make you watch.”

“Maybe I’ll kill you first.”

“Your face could use a third scar, I reckon. I’ll be more than happy to give you one.”

* * *

He was carrying her through the woods over his shoulder like a log. Her hands were gripping tightly to his vest, her whole body trembling with fear. The sound of clashing weapons was staring to fade. She was paralyzed, and didn’t even try to fight him while he was forcing her back to the harbor.

The battle noises faded completely and deafening silence took over. It felt like time had stopped, and soon she was dropped on the floor.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” He stood over her, screaming.

She was unable to speak for a moment. Her eyes had burned and itched from crying. She hated herself for everything that she’d done. For her selfishness. If only she could have been an obedient daughter, a true princess, none of this would have happened.

“I’m so sorry, Shikaku,” she pleaded weakly. For the first time she found herself lost for words. “I never meant- I just- You said that it would only cause minor stomach problems.”

“I don’t want to hear it! You have problems, _I get it!_ But how about you stop making everyone else’s life miserable just because yours isn’t living up to your expectations? You almost _killed_ my best friend, and you almost got _yourself_ killed!” His voice was still loud and hoarse, and she knew that she deserved every single harsh word he threw her way.

“I’m sorry, I never meant for this to happen,” she whispered, her voice breaking halfway through the sentence as he paced around her.

“I don’t give a shit, honestly. You sit your ass here while I go back and help Inoichi,” Shikaku yelled. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, his voice suddenly calm again, “and so help me god, if you try to run again, I will chop off your damn legs.”

“I won’t run,” she promised quietly.

“If we are not back within fifteen minutes, I want you to start moving down that road until you find Chouza. Do you understand me?” Shikaku pointed to a path behind her.

She merely nodded, and it was all he needed as confirmation. Yoshino watched him storm back to the battleground. She could not stop quivering.

She let things get out of hand for her own egotistic reasons. Her marriage was supposed to ensure the peace for two nations, and yet she wasn’t willing to make this sacrifice for millions of people. What was her life compared to the life of everyone else whose wellbeing was at stake?

She couldn’t get over the fact that she was actually willing to poison a person over something as trivial as her own misfortune. Who was she to want freedom in the face of war?

Finally grasping the selfishness of her own acts, Yoshino sat quietly on the ground and waited. Her eyes fixed in the direction where she’d last seen Shikaku’s back, hoping to see his face soon. She sat and she waited.

Seconds felt like hours, minutes like days.

The night was getting darker and she was starting to lose hope she’d ever see them again. What if they die? It would all have been because of her recklessness.

Yoshino felt her heartbeat pick up the pace, and her body refused to sit still. Panic started to overcome her as she stood up and started pacing back and forth. She pulled nervously on the collar of her attire, struggling to breathe. The pounding of her heart was faster and faster until she could hear the pulse in her own head. Palms sweating, her body trembling. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw a silhouette approaching and she jumped up to her feet immediately.

One.

Only one, but too far off to recognize. Friend or foe? As the figure approached, she could definitely make out the shape to be Inoichi.

_He couldn’t have died, could he? No, he’s not dead. Not like this. Not because of me. No._

Her heart was starting to shatter to pieces, and seconds before her legs betrayed her, she saw a second shadow.

* * *

Yoshino woke up in a rather small sleeping cabin. Well, it was certainly smaller than her room at the house she lived in back in Konoha, but she had to presume that, as far as cabins go, it wasn’t _that_ bad. Some might have called it spacious. Though it smelled like fish and salt water. The air was heavy, and she was unsure what made it so unbearable to breathe. The one thing she knew for sure is that they were on a ship, on their way to her own personal hell.

“How are you feeling?” Chouza asked softly. He was sitting on a chair next to her bed. Yoshino’s face reddened in shame upon facing the man she had almost, albeit unintentionally, killed.

“Chouza, I’m sorry,” she said, voice shaking. Speaking felt oddly hard, as if she were being strangled by the sheer air she breathed. Reluctantly, she reached to take his hand, “I’m so, _so_ sorry.”

She felt hot tears streaming down her face.

“It’s fine, Yoshino. I understand why you’ve done it. I know you hadn’t planned to seriously harm me.”

“I would never, Chouza, please forgive me!” She begged, now already sitting up and bowing her head low as a sign of remorse and respect. “I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you for what I did.”

“I forgive you, but only if you promise to stop beating yourself up about it,” he smiled. His kindness knew no bounds, which had only made her feel worse about her actions. Yoshino wished she had Chouza’s compassion instead of her egotism.

Suddenly it had dawned on her that they were alone in the room. And that she didn’t quite know what happened to Inoichi and Shikaku, as she had passed out before she could see them up close.

“Inoichi…and Shikaku,” she asked frantically, “are they alright?”

“Yoshino, you must stop worrying now. Your body went through a trauma caused by the rush of adrenaline you are not used to. You’ve only slept for one hour, please rest some more.”

She felt as if her heart had jumped up to her throat, attempting to escape from her ribcage upon the fact that she had not received a straight up reply from Chouza regarding her question. Her mouth opened to speak, but no sound came from her lips. Did this mean they weren’t alright? Is that why Chouza avoided her question?

As she struggled to perform a basic human skill, she was startled by the door being swung open with force. She felt cold breeze on her face and then heard a click as Inoichi closed the door behind him.

“My apologies, it was the wind, I didn’t mean to be so violent with the door,” he explained after being stared down by Chouza and his scolding face. “Are you alright, Yoshino?”

“Yes,” she whispered, “I am. And I’m glad to see you are alright. Inoichi, I’m so sorry,” she spoke quickly, voice full of remorse once again, but all she could think about was Shikaku. She hadn’t seen him, not really. And what if the second shadow she saw in the woods wasn’t him at all? What if she had imagined it all together?

The blonde waved his hand dismissively and gave her a wide grin. “Water under the bridge, don’t worry about it.”

“Where is Shikaku?” Chouza asked, and her heard skipped a beat. She loved Chouza for asking before she could, because she knew her voice would probably break. She held her breath waiting for the reply.

“What do you think?” Inoichi huffed, “drinking.”

Relief washed over her, and nearly made her feel dizzy. He was alive and that was good, but from his tone, Yoshino picked this action up to be a bad sign. Shikaku was a regular drinker, so this wouldn’t be anything unusual; except that she realized quite well that the implication of his drinking being bad was brought on by the events that had occurred earlier this very day. He was mad and she knew it was her doing. The notion almost gave her an unusual form of hope. She yearned to see his face so badly.

“Ahh, figures,” Chouza rose from the chair and placed his hand on Inoichi’s shoulder, “come now, let’s leave Yoshino to rest some more.”

“Of course. I just came to tell you that dinner will be served in one hour. I can have it brought up to your cabin if you don’t want to dine at the table with us.”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll join you then. I’m not tired,” Yoshino said, eager to leave the cabin, but careful to not sound too happy about the possibility of being close to him again, which was ridiculous on it’s own. She had suddenly forgotten all about her unfortunate faith, and focused all of her energy into one though – him. She didn’t know what exactly it was she wanted to gain from seeing him again, but the need was there nonetheless.

“There’s a room with a tub next door, we can have someone fill it with hot water for you if you want to freshen up,” Chouza added, and her face lit up. She’s gone _days_ without a bath, and she had in all honesty forgotten how much she missed it.

“Oh that would be lovely, thank you,” Yoshino nodded and the two men walked out the door.

Within the next several minutes, a servant girl had knocked on her door to inform her that her bath was ready. Yoshino followed her into the next cabin, where she found a tub, filled with bubbly water in the center of the room. Immediate relaxation hit her as soon as she sunk her body into it. She rubbed her skin gently for several minutes, until she was finally done cleansing herself.

She laid back and daydreamed about a backyard full of trees and flowers, and she remembered him kissing her back in the restaurant, only hours prior to this very moment. A smile formed on her lips, a broken kind of smile, when she realized that it was probably peak physical interaction, she would ever have with him. And what pained her the most is that she was supposed to hate him, but instead – her stupid little heart danced a little faster at every though she had of him.

There was no logic or reason for her attraction, not that she knew of. And it was infuriating. She had remained inside the water until it had gone completely cold.

By the time she’d gotten dressed, it was time for dinner already.

When she had walked in the dining chamber of the ship, the three of them were already sitting at the table, helping themselves with meat and mead. His eyelids were hanging low, probably from the buzz, but he had been very cheerful while conversing with Chouza and Inoichi. She silently walked over and seated herself between the two of them, in the only chair left available – right across the table from Shikaku.

“Oh, how good of you to join us, Yoshino,” Chouza smiled, “I was worried you’d changed your mind.”

She managed to give him a weak smile in response before her eyes flicked toward Shikaku, who was too occupied staring at a serving girl’s ass to acknowledge Yoshino’s presence.

Needless to say the dinner went monumentally bad. She felt horrible all throughout the evening and kept apologizing to Chouza and Inoichi, who truly already seemed to have forgiven her, but Shikaku didn’t even look at her once.

Yoshino had attempted to get his attention and start a conversation on topics she knew he had interest in, but he was persistent at ignoring her completely, shutting down all of her efforts. She wasn’t even sure what she’d say to him in all honesty, she just wanted him to acknowledge her presence.

She was desperate for as little as one look from him, but her eyes never found his. He was always looking at his friends, or at the bottle he was drinking from. Or at the women who served them. There was this blonde one who seemed to have caught his eye in particular. She had her cleavage exposed, of course he’d noticed her. _Shocker_ , Yoshino scoffed. _Men are a pathetic_.

Her stomach was starting to boil, and she refused to accept the fact that she was jealous. Jealous of some regular girl who gets to live the life she wants and gets all of his attention.

She almost started laughing at the notion, realizing how pathetic she sounded. Pining after him like he’s a prized catch, when in reality he was nothing but arrogant, rude and stubborn, which made the feelings she had even more maddening.

What could she have possibly seen in him that would make her want him like this? He was intelligent and smart; she’d give him that. He was ruggedly good-looking and strong, but other than that there was nothing.

Nothing except for the way his eyes used to always find hers before this whole madness happened. Nothing except for the fact that his smell was reason enough for her mind to start imagining unimaginable. Nothing except for the sheer tension between them. He may have been lazy and arrogant, good for nothing. But there was something that kept pulling her to him no matter how hard she tried to push away.

The noises of conversation and glasses clicking together, drew her back to reality. She felt pressure inside her head at the realization that the blonde serving girl had been lingering a little too long over Shikaku.

It would feel great if she could punch her in the face. Maybe smash her head against the table as well. She never thought she would consider physically hurting another woman over a man before. And she did not like the truth of it that she easily and absolutely would.

And he enjoyed it. He reveled in the woman’s closeness; she could sense it. And why wouldn’t he, she is indeed quite gorgeous. Yoshino’s insides twisted at the sight of the girl who decided to seat herself in his lap.

“Yoshino, it’s getting a little to rowdy here, do you want me to escort you to your room?” Chouza offered politely with a soft smile on his face.

“Thank you, Chouza, but that’s not necessary. I just need some air, and I’d like Inoichi to join me,” she stated viciously, and the blond was confused by the sudden call-out, but he stood up anyway, and followed Yoshino around the table and out of the cabin. In the corner of her eye, she caught Shikaku’s head flinch towards her for a second. Yoshino smiled victoriously and strolled away.

“Are you trying to make Shikaku jealous?” Inoichi asked, following Yoshino across the deck. She walked over to the edge and leaned on the wooden fence.

“Is it working?”

“I think so,” he said and she laughed.

“I don’t know what’s come over me.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll come around.”

But come around to what exactly? She was about to marry someone. What exactly was supposed to happen? Did she expect him to be her lover? She was quite certain he wouldn’t entertain the thought of being her anything, much less a lover. Her heart sank.

“I don’t want him to come around. I just want to not feel like this at all. I’m sorry, he’s your friend, I shouldn’t be telling you all this, it must be awkward for you.”

“I don’t mind. He’s under your skin, I can tell. And I’m afraid that you don’t really have much choice. Not when it comes to the matters of the heart anyway.”

“When did you become such a romantic?” She teased, and Inoichi laughed it off.

“Maybe I’ve been rethinking the whole ladies-man thing I got going on. You can’t tell anyone, though. I can’t have my reputation ruined.”

“You know what, Inoichi. You’re alright.”

“You’re alright too, Yoshino,” Inoichi smiled gently at her, “shall we go back inside?”

Yoshino nodded and clicked her heels as she turned to walk back. Much to her displeasure, she was greeted by an unsightly scene the moment her eyes laid upon the distant passageway. It was only for a brief moment, but she could distinctly see his hand wrapped around a woman’s waist as he led her further down the dark corridor and into one of the chambers.

* * *

He sat on the deck and enjoyed the fresh cold breeze of the night. The sky was clear, with millions of stars sparkling above. While he felt physically satisfied, there was still a certain unease within him. All the moans of all the serving girls couldn’t have filled a tiny little void he had inside. While their sweaty naked bodies may have given him a temporary relief, it hadn’t been what he truly needed. He wasn’t quite sure what else was there to want. He did have an idea, but it seemed too ridiculous to be the truth. 

His quiet time was interrupted by a slim tall figure who had approached him and started rambling about sailing stuff he knew nothing about. Still half lost in thought, he slowly caught on to what the person was saying.

“Hold on, what do you mean we are dropping anchor? It’s five in the morning, and we are in the middle of nowhere,” Shikaku insisted, finally feeling sober enough.

“I apologize, but we have to shut the engines briefly. It will only take half an hour. And we’ll be on the way.”

“Do what you have to do.” Shikaku replied unwillingly.

_What kind of a lord sends this god forsaken, half broken ship for his future bride?_ He thought to himself. The more he learned about this man, the more he loathed him.

His eyes followed the captain as he made way past him, only to notice a familiar silhouette standing at the port side of the vessel.

_Tsk, what the hell is she doing up at this time?_

She was leaning over the fence, seemingly fascinated by something in the water behind their course trail. It had to be the dolphins, he mused. He sighed and shook his head, shaking off the thoughts of going over and talking to her.

As he started to walk away, he realized that they had been slowing down significantly. Not long after, he heard a voice yell “ _dropping anchor”_ and he lost all balance, nearly falling down as he felt the deck jerk beneath his feet. The abrupt motion was followed by a woman’s scream and a loud splash. And he knew exactly which woman it had belonged to.

Without a second thought, he ran over to the port side, diving overboard head first after her. The water was ice cold, but luckily for him, it was at least calm. He resurfaced right next to her; and she seemed to be struggling to keep herself steady on the surface.

“Woman, are you mad?!” Shikaku yelled as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her body to his. She was trembling from the cold, and her lips were already a shade of blue.

“How the hell was I supposed to know this would happen?! It’s not like I did it on purpose,” she may have been freezing and scared, but her impudence never ceased to spark. It almost made him smile. “I can’t swim, Shikaku,” she said in a tone much less brutal. He could detect a hint of embarrassment in her voice, and a softness in her eyes as she clung to him tightly. He realized the courage it took for her to admit any weakness, and to him of all people, making herself vulnerable.

“It’s alright, I got you,” he said as calmly as he could, considering that her face had been so close to his own, warm breaths falling on the skin of his neck, body shivering. “Relax, Yoshino. Breathe. Listen now, I am going to let go of you for just a second, ok?”

She looked at him hesitantly, her eyes not quite convinced that she could trust him, but she nodded anyway. Shikaku let go and, in a flash, he was standing on the water surface, pulling her up into his arms.

“How did you do that?”

“Chakra,” he replied simply before pushing his feet hard off the water surface, and landing back on the deck of the ship within a second.

He grabbed his vest that had been idly on the floor at the place Shikaku used to be sitting at only moments ago and cloaked her with it.

“There, you must be freezing,” he said and stroked the length of her arm gently over the fabric of his vest. Every inch of her had been trembling. “You need to go change your clothes right now.”

“Let’s get you inside,” a lady in waiting took her by the hand and dragged her back into her cabin. Shikaku watched them leave, eyes fixated on Yoshino, wondering how such a troublesome woman keeps on finding ways to get further under his skin.

He went to his own cabin to change his clothes. Two naked women were still in his bed, asleep, and he could’ve easily dried off and laid in between them. It would’ve been too easy to just pretend it was what he wanted to do. But as soon as the ship started moving again, he found himself walking towards her chamber and knocking on her door.

“May I come in?” He asked in a low voice.

“Yes,” he heard her reply. Shikaku entered her chamber. She was sitting on the bed, wrapped into a blanket and had a look on her face as if she was being eaten away by guilt.

“I’ve come to apologize,” he said. The words evidently surprised her, as her body language changed noticeably; her eyes were a little more widened, and her back arched straight. “I’m sorry that I yelled at you the other night. And I apologize for kissing you in the restaurant. That was way out of line.”

“I’m not mad because you kissed me, Shikaku. I’m mad because of the reason you did it for,” her deep dark eyes stared at him, guilting him even further.

“I know. I disrespected you and I’m sorry.”

Yoshino was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. He nodded at her and turned around to leave, but she called out to him and he froze on the spot.

“Can you stay?” Yoshino asked him quietly. He turned around to face her, and she gestured him to sit next to her. “I’d really like the company.”

“Even mine?” It was his turn to be surprised at her words. Never in a million years did he suspect she would ask for his company willingly.

“You’re not half bad,” she smiled gently, and he felt compelled to please her and do as she bid him. “You know, I’m really not what you think I am.”

“How would you know what I think?”

“You told me. So I know you think that I’m a raging bitch,” she said and he laughed. “I hope you can understand why I did everything I did. I never meant to poison Chouza that badly, and I never meant for that battle to happen. I just wanted to have a life. But I guess, when you are born into a family like mine, all the decisions get made for you. And wanting a life is a selfish thing. I realize that now. And I am going to do my duty, Shikaku. I’ve made my peace with it.”

“You know, I’ve had some time to think about you tonight. Because for a change, you were quiet, and I could actually hear my own thoughts,” he joked and she poked his shoulder playfully, seemingly offended, but a smile lingered on her lips. “I think you’re really brave. You are annoying and troublesome, but you are fierce. I actually admire you for fighting for yourself. If the circumstances were different, I’d probably even help you run away.”

“I think it’s time I face the music,” Yoshino smiled at him weakly, and her admit of defeat felt heartbreaking.

But it was a first honest smile he’s gotten out of her and it sent chills down his spine. Her eyes were much different than before. He thought that she could probably get away with murder with that doe-eyed look she had going on.

“So, what’s the story behind those scars?” She asked him, interrupting all the messy thoughts he didn’t know how to sort through.

“Ah, the scars. Courtesy of an Iwagakure nin from the last war,” Shikaku began the story, and Yoshino hugged her knees and listened to the tales of brave war heroes.


	5. A Change of Heart

“All right, are you ready?” Shikaku extended his hand and she accepted it.

“Right, here I go,” she exhaled a small puff of air and slowly stepped up to the water surface in the tub, “Oh my god, it’s working, the water is solid!”

He let go of her hand, and she stood perfectly still in front of him. The joy and self-achievement on her face was priceless and Shikaku found himself captivated.

During their conversation the previous night, Yoshino had gathered the courage to ask him to teach her about chakra, fascinated by his ability to walk on the water surface – which he’d demonstrated when he fished her out of the sea. Looking at him with eyes filled with wonder, she had asked him to tell her more about this particular set of skills, and he found it hard to turn her down so he promised that he would teach her about it the following day.

He had explained the basics of chakra molding to her, and while she had memorized the theory well, he did not expect her to actually successfully be able to stand on water on her first try. She had been a natural talent.

“That’s it,” Shikaku encouraged her, utterly impressed by this troublesome woman, “good girl.”

“I’m not a dog!” She hissed at him.

“No, I’m sorry, you’re right. You’re more like a whale, except you can’t swim,” he teased, and she attempted to shove him, but she lost balance quickly. Shikaku swept her up in his arms before her feet could fall all the way through the water, and he put her down gently on the solid ground.

“You asshole,” she smacked his arm and he laughed.

“I only said it to annoy you and see if you could manage to keep your ground,” and she narrowed her eyes, pretending to be upset yet again, but her curved lip betrayed her intentions. “Come on, that’s enough for today, you’ll exhaust yourself.”

“But, I’m having fun,” she said it so honestly, her voice vibrating with energy and happiness that it had dawned on him that it was all she truly wanted, to live her life and have some fun. A shadow of sadness overcame him as he remembered that she would never have it again after she marries the man she was promised to.

* * *

The four of them sat in the dining chamber of the ship yet again. To make matters a bit worse, Shikaku’s conquests have come to bite him in the ass; the two girls he has taken to his bed the previous night have been the ones serving drinks, again. They giggled every time they looked at him and his stomach twisted a little. He felt like the progress he’d made with Yoshino had been nullified the moment she saw them fawning over him.

It wasn’t like he had cheated on her, he was a free agent, and he had the luxury to go to bed with whoever he had wanted to. But that didn’t mean that in this moment it didn’t feel wrong – that he didn’t feel shame. Yoshino, by the looks of it, was unbothered by their presence, but he felt a tension between them still. Luckily, the girls didn’t stay for long. Chouza had suggested that they won’t be needing serving tonight, so they should just go get a good night of sleep. Shikaku was grateful.

Their poker game was going well, more for some rather than others. She had them fooled at first, claiming she wasn’t good at the game, which had proven to be a blatant bluff on her side, as she ended up wiping the floor with them the first couple of rounds.

He stared at the cards in his hand; two jacks and three queens, a full house. His chances of winning were pretty good. Yoshino, however, kept raising the stakes, and he followed. Chouza folded on time, Inoichi a bit later. She kept pushing until his pockets were empty and in the end, she laid out a royal flush down on the table.

“I need another drink if I’m going to keep losing money,” Inoichi said desperately.

“Yeah, about that. I think our stock has gone dry,” Chouza said. “The servant girls told me earlier that they only had one bottle left – the one we have just finished.”

Shikaku nearly gasped, and he observed Inoichi’s face change from mild annoyance to utter dread.

“What? They’re lying,” Yoshino announced and pointed to the corner of the room behind Inoichi’s back. “Look, the liquor cabinet is fully stocked!”

“Yeah, apparently they weren’t given the key to it.” Chouza huffed in annoyance. “It’s their lord’s private stash.”

Yoshino stood up and walked over to the wooden cabinet with glass windows and fumbled around her hair looking for something. After a brief moment she pulled two long pins out of her hair. She went down on one knee, and held up the two pins with her slender fingers, slowly inserting the points into the lock, and making slight, delicate moves with them.

“Are you– _picking a lock_?” Shikaku’s voice had betrayed his poker face, filled with surprise and a sprinkle of pride.

“You are quite observant, Shikaku,” she grinned, looking at him over her shoulder, “I may not be a trained shinobi, but I can pick locks and I’ll have you know, I’m an excellent thief.”

A brief silence ensued, as they observed her in action.

The lock fell open on the floor. She turned around to look at them, beaming with pride. “I have quick hands,” she announced with the haughtiest expression Shikaku has ever seen on her, which made it hard for him to keep a straight face.

She snatched two more bottles from the cabinet and put them on the table in front of them.

“I’m not going to lie, that was awesome,” Inoichi announced flatly, which made her grin widen even more. “I nearly forgot that you once picked a lock of your stables in the middle of the night so we could go horseback riding.”

“I still can’t quite wrap my brain around the fact that the two of you dated,” Chouza said, and it hit Shikaku’s nerve.

He had forgotten all about it and wasn’t proud of the fact that he envied Inoichi, which was maddening. Why should he be jealous? It’s not like he had been in love with the woman who dated his best friend and was about to marry a foreign lord. That would’ve been quite dramatic. He had merely appreciated the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him, or when she’d indulge him with stimulating conversation. Or perhaps even the way her nose wrinkled when he’d piss her off.

He wasn’t in love, surely. That would’ve been too troublesome; and he hated trouble. He was a self-proclaimed loner who had an appetite for bland women – not princesses. Certainly not troublesome princesses like this one. Ones who knew how to both drive him mad and make him grin like a fool, or even pick locks. No, that would’ve been quite preposterous.

She seated herself back in the chair next to him, and he couldn’t help but take a deep breath only to inhale the scent of her perfume. It had been fresh, with only a hint of sweetness, and it made him want to bury his face in the crook of her neck, and place kisses down her collar bone, until it led him to her chest. No, Shikaku was absolutely not in love with her.

“So, I have some questions for you,” he asked her later, during a brief moment they were left alone in the room. “What on earth were you – a princess, doing in a bar the night that we first met?”

“Contrary to the popular belief, Shikaku, princesses _can_ like to drink and have fun. I don’t think of myself as particularly royal, as I’m sure you’d agree,” she replied with a serious look on her face, before flashing him a wide grin, “and I also like to piss of my family.”

Shikaku couldn’t help but laugh – that sentence was so effectively Yoshino.

“I’ll be honest, that doesn’t surprise me one bit. Was this also the reason you went out with Inoichi?”

“Shikaku…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry – none of my business,” he raised his hands up defensively, “you don’t owe me, or anyone, any explanations.”

“We never really dated, Shikaku,” Yoshino said, her voice low, and unadulterated curiosity suddenly came over Shikaku. “We were only pretending because I wanted to piss off my family and he– well, I’ll let him tell you his part of the story when he’s ready.”

He didn’t ask any further questions, but he wondered what on earth had possessed Inoichi to go along with this plot. Not to mention that he suddenly felt inexplicably relieved, because the fact was that he all of a sudden wasn’t in love with his best friend’s ex.

* * *

He tossed and turned yet he couldn’t sleep – and not for the lack of trying. The night had been brisk and a storm was incoming. He wore no shirt, hoping that the cold could help him fall asleep and maybe forget the thoughts that he was having, but it was no use.

All he thought about was how Yoshino didn’t deserve this horrible faith of hers. She deserved better, and he wished he could have helped her. He hated his job, and he hated politics when it played out like this. He hated that he didn’t hate her. He hated Minato for assigning them to such a mission. He’d much rather face a raging war than have a hand in destroying a young girl’s life like this.

He paced around his cabin, feeling the ship start to increasingly sway from the wild stormy sea, when he heard a knock at the door. He went to open it and saw Yoshino standing on the other side.

“Are you alone?” She whispered and he nodded. “May I come in?”

Shikaku stepped aside and allowed her to enter his small cabin. He closed the door slowly, making sure he doesn’t make any noise. She was standing in front of him in a long silky robe. She was nervous, as he could only imagine she’d be. Tomorrow was the day they arrive to Kiri.

“Did I tell you that I have photogenic memory?” She asked him frantically. “Did you know that?”

“No,” he answered, “that’s actually quite fascinating.”

“It isn’t, because it had just dawned on me that tomorrow night – or whenever the hell this wretched wedding was supposed to happen, that man, that awful man will kiss me, and touch me,” Yoshino spoke with fear and rage and Shikaku felt his stomach twist to the thought, “and it will be burned in my brain forever,” she spoke and it hurt to listen. “Men like him think women are property. And once we’re married, I’ll become his. And he’ll do with me whatever he wants, with no regard for my feelings.”

“Yoshino,” Shikaku began slowly, his voice full of sorrow, but she didn’t let him finish.

“No, just listen, please,” she pleaded as she took a step toward him. Shikaku obeyed, suddenly well aware of space between them that grew a bit smaller. He looked at her big brown doe eyes and wished that he could take all of her pain away. “I know we didn’t have a great start and that we’ve both said some awful things to each other in the beginning, but I realize that you were just doing your job – one that I’ve been making very difficult for you. And for the past couple of days you’ve been a perfect gentleman, Shikaku,” she went on uncertainly.

His eyes followed the motion of her hand as she reached for the cord of her garment and pulled it open, letting the robe slip down from her body and she was left standing in front of him in her short silky nightgown with lacy trims. “I want to know what it’s like to be with a handsome man my own age. Someone I feel safe with. This is the last bit of myself that I have any control over, and I am not letting him or anyone else take it from me. Because I want to give it to you.”

Shikaku swallowed hard, his throat tightening up as he stared longingly at her. “Well,” he said and took another step closer, “you’re in luck.” His voice was hoarse. He reached for the thin cord at the top of her cleavage and loosened it slowly. His fingers slid up her collar bone, feeling the warmth of her skin, to her shoulders where he brushed the straps of her night gown off of her, revealing her naked body. “Because I’m not really a gentleman.”

He grabbed her by the small of her back, pulling her into him, and kissed her with more desire than he’s ever kissed anyone before. And this time she didn’t fight him; she parted her lips to allow him access to her tongue. His hungry kisses traveled from her lips, down her neck, around her collar bone and further down between her breasts. He enjoyed the warmth of her skin against his lips, and he never wanted to stop.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and let him pick her up in his arms and put her in his bed. He lowered her down gently, then he grabbed her legs and pulled her to the edge of the bed.

He went down on his knees and kissed his way up her legs until he could bury his head between her thighs. He heard her moan as he ran his tongue over her clit. Her slender fingers roamed through his hair, and gently gripped at his ponytail.

One of his hands was firmly grabbing at her breast, gently brushing the hard nipple with his thumb. His other hand was wrapped around her thigh at first and then he moved it in between her legs. He started out gentle, but the approving sounds she made encouraged him to go faster and faster until he felt every muscle in her body spasm and she let out a small scream of satisfaction, arching her back in an elegant motion.

She swallowed hard, gasping for air. It was no secret that Shikaku had been experienced, but it helped that she seemed to be particularly sensitive to his touch.

“That was amazing,” she panted.

“I’m just getting started,” he told her, well aware of his smugness, as he slowly climbed on to top of her, his knees placed carefully at the sides of her hips. She didn’t roll her eyes or have a nasty comeback. Instead, she just pulled him down to her face and started kissing him ardently, with the same dose of hunger and desperation he had kissed her with earlier.

She rolled him on his back and climbed on his lap, her fingers running down his abs, until she reached the elastic of his pants and the hardness beneath, gently stroking his length. She laid down, her chest on his, and kissed his neck and jawline. Her fingers traced his scars gently – he winced at the touch slightly, as if afraid, and she laid reassuring kisses on the wounds he carried proudly on his face. It had been the first time Shikaku had ever had a woman do such a thing. Normally, he wouldn’t allow his scars to be touched – but he could make an exception for her.

“I’m ready,” she whispered into his ear, and it was all the encouragement he needed to grab her around the waist, and roll over on top of her again She looked him straight in the eyes as he removed his pants.

“Tell me if it hurts you,” he whispered and she managed a small nod.

His forehead was resting on hers as he slowly penetrated her. She panted heavily; eyes closed. He felt her whole body tremble beneath his, and grew cautious about every movement he made. Yoshino reassured him that he wasn’t hurting her by guiding him deeper into her. He started slowly, steadily. The noises she made encouraged him to slowly pick up the pace. Faster and faster.

Her panting became a bit too stimulative for him and he had to switch positions to restrain from the climax, so he spun her around and placed a pillow underneath her belly. She buried her head in the other pillow and gripped the sheets tightly. One of his hands wandered into her long hair while the other one was resting on her ass as his moves grew harder.

“Stop,” she said and he did so without hesitating, half terrified that he had hurt her.

To his relief, when she turned, there was no sign of distress on her face, only pleasure. She pulled him closer, then rolled them over and took charge.

“ _Oh_ ,” he smirked. Yoshino smiled down at him as she unhinged her hips and rolled them with more grace than he’d ever seen before.

“Am I doing alright?” She asked him and he simply nodded. His throat was dry. He placed his hands on her waist and then moved them down to her hips, following the motion she was making and helping her keep her rhythm. She moved slowly, seductively. He quite enjoyed his view from beneath her. Unable to let her do all the work, he rose up to sit with her in his lap, capturing her breast with his mouth. She arched her head backwards, overwhelmed with pleasure, which had only turned him on further.

As she gradually grew tired and slowed her moves down, he took charge once again. He rolled her over to the side so she laid with him right behind her. His hand was placed on her breast, with the other one supporting her leg up so that he could angle himself properly.

She assisted by continuing to swirl her hips in rhythm with him, and not shying away from being very vocal. Her increasingly loud moans only made him even more hungry for her. He held her tight, and she pushed her body as close to his as possible desperate for his arms and the intimacy. They started slow and then it was faster and faster until Shikaku felt her walls tighten around his erection and warm juice flow down from her. He himself let out a muffled groan of pleasure. Her whole body trembled, and he followed her climax.

She turned around to look at him, and he placed a gentle kiss on her lips and felt her smile against him. He couldn’t help but do the same.

* * *

All Shikaku could think about was the smell of her hair. It smelled like autumn in Konoha, and made you feel like home. She was asleep, curled up next to him. His hands were strategically wrapped around her, prepared to never let her go. She was wrapped around him, their legs intertwined. Her head was resting on his chest. Shikaku wanted this moment to last forever, but he knew it impossible. She was barely his to begin with, yet she was already slipping through his fingers.

No, he wasn’t in love with her. Not in the slightest.

He brushed away a strand of her hair from her forehead and placed a gentle kiss on her warm skin. His cabin grew increasingly lighter, as the dawn neared. They would reach Kiri in a matter of hours now.

Shikaku was startled by the door being creaked open. Chouza stood at the door frame, frozen, before he uncomfortably shifted away. This prompted Shikaku to get up and get dressed, before they are caught by a member of the crew – although he suspected that they’ve been heard already. If he was lucky, the storm would’ve covered the noises they’ve made.

He was greeted by Chouza and Inoichi the second his feet hit the deck.

“Look, about what you just saw–”

“I didn’t see anything,” Chouza interrupted and Shikaku narrowed his eyes at him. He had expected a speech about moral, or some other similar crap.

“Alright,” he said hesitantly, “if you say so.”

“Oh, but the next time you decide to do something similar, maybe do it in a place that’s not filled with men who serve your lover’s husband to be.”

“I thought you didn’t see anything,” Shikaku frowned.

“I didn’t.”

Shikaku looked at Inoichi next, and pulled him to the side, away from Chouza who had been visibly disturbed, fumbling something into his own chin while looking at the distant horizon.

“Look, man, about you and Yoshino–”

“Dude, you don’t need my permission to sleep with her, we aren’t dating anymore, and I really am happy for you. Although, I’m not sure if that’s the proper choice of words, given the fact that she’s about to marry someone else…”

“Inoichi, cut the crap, I _know_.”

“Oh… I should’ve figured she’d tell you sooner or later.”

“She told me her part of the story, but I wanted to tell you that whatever yours is, you should know that you can trust me. And Chouza. We’re a team, man. We’re best friends. Why did you think you had to lie to us?”

Inoichi rolled his eyes and dragged Shikaku back to Chouza, who seemed to be lost in thought still.

“I have something to confess,” Yamanaka declared, which prompted Chouza to turn and give him his full attention, “Yoshino and I never truly dated. She wanted to annoy her grandfather by being with someone of my _reputation_ , and I – well I needed money.”

Shikaku’s eyebrows narrowed and he crossed his arms across his chest, “Money? I don’t understand, what could you have possibly needed money for that you couldn’t ask us to help you with?”

“Well, you see, I want to reopen my mother’s flower shop again. The amount of money I need for that is not something I could just casually ask my friends to loan me. Especially with Chouza’s wedding coming up and all. Besides, I felt embarrassed.”

“Look man, we all go through some rough patches, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I had one just last year. You should’ve known that we would’ve helped you as much as we could, no matter the amount.”

“I know that now. And I’m sorry for hiding this from you.”

Chouza stayed oddly quiet, for a while, exchanging quick glances with both of them.

“You two morons are impossible,” he finally declared with half a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so - I realize that the plot surrounding the whole Yoshino and Inoichi affair is underwhelming, but I had planned on it being a sham from the very start, and it didn't feel right to change that idea for the purpose of a more dramatic escalation.
> 
> Chouza being the voice of reason in this chaotic trio is my bread and butter. Hope you enjoyed the story so far.


	6. A Kiss Goodbye

They were welcomed into the residence of Lord Hiroshi at noon. Their little crew had been ushered into the residence by numbers of servants who had been instructed to show them the compound and the manor itself.

The house was so grand that everyone got their own room; Yoshino and Shikaku’s rooms were side by side, and Inoichi and Chouza’s rooms were right across the hall from theirs. They were allowed to freshen up and change before meeting the Feudal Lord himself, who had requested to meet with Chouza Akimichi first, and then Shikaku and Inoichi were to bring in his future bride. The official wedding ceremony was to take place tomorrow evening. Yoshino had been assigned three ladies in waiting to help pamper her from this day forward.

He stood in front of her quarters, waiting to take her to the official introduction. When the door of her room opened, Shikaku couldn’t help but stare at the sight before him. She wore an elegant grey and blue gown with a corset that perked up her breasts. Her hair was tied up into an elegant bun. She wore pearls around her thin neck, and a simple lipstick and eyeliner for makeup.

“You look beautiful,” he finally managed to squeeze out. For a while there, it felt like he had a noodle stuck in his throat, threatening to suffocate him.

“Thank you,” she smiled, “you look very handsome as well,” she returned the compliment as a proper lady would. He didn’t have nearly enough time to admire her and soak in her beauty before Inoichi joined them. And he too was taken aback by her attire.

She stood between the two men, holding onto their forearms as she let them stroll her down the long halls, and into the room where she’d meet her future husband.

As they walked through the door the Kiri’s noblemen made way for them to pass forward. At the end of their track stood Chouza Akimichi next to Lord Hiroshi.

He was a skinny, wrinkly old man. As they came closer, Shikaku noticed that he smelled like he had already been dead and yet there he was, alive and metaphorically kicking. He felt Yoshino tighten the grip she had on his arm; she probably could’ve smelled the horrendous odor. It took all of his self-control not to look down at her face.

When they finally reached him, the three made a courtesy bow. The man was even more appalling up close. Shikaku never thought someone could both smell and look _that_ bad. His skin was dry and cracked. He had drooled when he spoke, and his eyes were malicious. He thought about how Yoshino had told him that he liked taking young girls, and he could see it in his face that the old man was a monster. Shikaku almost felt sick to his stomach. He felt Yoshino’s body wince when Hiroshi had kissed her hand and god help him, all he wanted to do was take her back to Konoha.

After they’ve encountered and exchanged necessary pleasantries, most of which Yoshino barely managed to squeeze through her teeth, the Lord returned to his business with Chouza and she stood by, gripping Shikaku’s arm again, refusing to let go. They stood silently and he listened to the peace treaty they were going over. It had been solid, with no loopholes that could’ve been used against Konoha – not ones he could’ve been able to detect at first anyway. At least they knew _something_ good was going to come out of this – peace.

_Tsk, what was peace, really? An illusion at best._

Luckily for all of them, the Lord did not keep them for too long. He allowed his guests to return to their chambers and rest from their long journey.

The moment they’ve crossed the threshold of the room they’d been in and moved into the hall, Yoshino picked up her pace, making long strides, faster and faster until she started running. Shikaku and Inoichi ran after her with Chouza close behind them. She ran until she had reached the nearest window, she leaned over the edge, vomiting the contents of her meal. Shikaku supported her forehead with his hand, and Inoichi held her by the shoulders.

“Not here Yoshino, don’t let them see you,” he said as he gently stroked her back, but she couldn’t stop. Shikaku was on the edge of his nerves, experiencing a throbbing headache himself, mad with rage at his inability to protect her from this man. He could not believe that her own flesh and blood would’ve traded her in like they did, and to someone like Hiroshi. He would’ve gladly gone to war to make this madness stop.

When she stopped vomiting and slowly turned around, he swallowed his breath; seeing her red face wet with tears and sweat broke Shikaku’s heart.

“Let’s get you to your room, ok?” Inoichi kindly offered, extending his hand to her, which she accepted with a few brief nods, while using the back of her other hand to wipe the tears off her face.

Shikaku walked slowly behind them, staring at the ground, lost in thought. If only he could figure out a way out of this one. The instructions were clear – _Get the peace treaty signed no matter what._ And she was the cost for the signature. It sounded so easy in theory, but it became much harder once you grew close to the girl. He saw Inoichi and Chouza’s faces earlier – they were just as opposed to this arrangement as he was. Only for them it had been easier, because the girl that was to be married off had never kissed them, or climbed into their bed and moaned sweetly into their ears. She hadn’t left trails of her fingers burned on their backs. That was all just him.

He looked up the same moment she glanced over her shoulder, and it seemed as if the world had stopped spinning and time slowed down. He could hear his own heartbeat pulsing in his head. Shikaku sped up until he was by her side, grabbing her hand, finger interlacing gently. He had no clue what to do next; all he knew was that he was fucked.

* * *

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Yoshino.”

She’s been strolling through the gardens of the mansion, followed by Shikaku, Inoichi and Chouza. If it were up to her, she would’ve just locked herself in her room and cried her eyes out, but they insisted – claiming that she needed to breathe fresh air and calm her thoughts. They were right. She did feel much better, until they ran into Lord Hiroshi’s daughter Michiko and her son Hisahito. Not that they were unpleasant of any sorts, it’s just that she hadn’t had the strength for empty chitchats.

The woman couldn’t have been more than a few years older than herself, and the boy was only a child. Yoshino prayed that whoever it was that this girl was married off to, he was a better catch than Hiroshi.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Michiko,” she made a curtsy bow, “My apologies for not seeking you out sooner. We’re still very tired from the journey. Just got out for a bit of fresh air.”

“No apologies necessary, dearest Yoshino. I was merely curious to meet you, I hope you’ll forgive my intrusion.”

“It’s no intrusion, we’d be happy to have you join our little walk,” Yoshino exchanged the necessary pleasantries, but hadn’t expected the woman to take her up on her offer. Michiko fell into step with her, and the little boy ran off through the garden after a cat that ran by.

“I see you have your own personal guards with you, they are quite handsome,” the woman turned around to look at the three men who walked behind them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Michiko,” Chouza spoke, “I’m Chouza Akimichi, and these are my teammates and friends, Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara.”

“They are only here until tomorrow night,” Yoshino cut in quickly, feeling unnerved at Michiko’s interest in the Konohans.

“Ah, from the esteemed clans of Konoha? It’s an honor to meet you, gentlemen,” the woman responded to Chouza, but she could swear that she caught a glimpse of her eyeing Shikaku in particular. Michiko quickly turned her attention back at Yoshino. “My husband passed away, you see. I’ve been trying to get father to allow me marriage to someone of my own choosing. I would quite fancy a man like one of them.”

Yoshino’s blood boiled at the thought that this woman might have the luxury that she herself craved so much. But Michiko did her duty to her family, she deserved it. Another thought made her cringe even further – that she’d take a liking to Shikaku specifically.

“Mommy, look!” Hisahito came running back, offering each of the ladies a flower, “I brought you flowers.”

Yoshino accepted the orange flower and responded with a kind smile to the boy. She felt truly touched by the sweet innocent gesture, and thankfully, distracted from her own unpleasant thoughts.

“Thank you, Hisahito, you are a true gentleman.”

Michiko smiled in response, “I do my best to teach my little boy manners, and the proper way women should be treated. My son would’ve made a fine Lord, if I dare say so,” she said cheerfully and glanced behind them at Yoshino’s escort.

“Would’ve?” Yoshino asked.

“Ah well, his father was the younger son in a royal family, which doesn’t make my son a successor. My father was ill fortunate, and had only daughters; I am the youngest, but the only one with a son. Hisahito could’ve been a successor to him, but not if you and my father are blessed with a baby boy.”

The sentence made Yoshino’s gut twist with horror as she was reminded that she would be used as a vessel to bear this man’s child, provided he could even still produce an heir. Which meant that he would invoke his right at marital activities every day, until she was pregnant.

“I hope you know, Yoshino, that you have a true friend in me,” she said suggestively, as if she knew of her fathers’ monstrosities, which only made Yoshino even more nervous. She felt her heartbeat grow unsteady yet again.

* * *

The tavern they’ve found wasn’t nearly as good as the ones they had in Konoha, but it would have to do. Yoshino was being pampered by her ladies in waiting, in preparation for her wedding tomorrow and he – well, he was getting drunk. Needless to say, the general mood had been miserable. Chouza kept eating, more so than usual and Inoichi looked like he’d seen a ghost. Shikaku had barely spoken the entire night, drowning himself in booze and withdrawing in solitude. They were sitting at the bar, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Hello, handsome,” he turned around to face a tall blonde woman who had her hand placed gently on his shoulder, “I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“I’m not from here,” he replied, quickly redirecting his attention back to the bottle he had been drinking from.

“Ah, a foreigner, how exotic,” she spoke slowly and seductively, while positioning herself in his field of vision delicately; he had seen the predatory body language before. Every woman in Konoha who had approached him exhibited the exact same pattern. The giggles, the light touches, the hair flips. It had all been there.

It wasn’t often that women were courageous enough to approach a man first, and Shikaku had always indulged them; showering them with superficial compliments and passionate kisses that wouldn’t last past the dawn.

He turned to look at the woman who had been looking at him through slender eyes, biting her lip gently, waiting for him to respond to her. His eyes sized her up her from head to toe and she was indeed quite gorgeous. Shikaku put down his bottle on the bar surface, which allowed the woman to step closer into his space, between his legs.

“Dude,” he heard Inoichi’s voice behind him, but decided to properly ignore it.

“Do you want to get out of here?” She whispered hoarsely, their noses touching, before she fully leaned forward and landed a kiss on his lips.

His heart stopped in his tracks, but it hadn’t been desire that drove him; it was guilt and sadness, feelings that he hadn’t been used to. She’s certainly a gorgeous woman, quite similar looking to Tsunade; that had been goddess tier in his book. But her kisses were dry, her touches were cold and he felt empty. Against all odds, Shikaku found himself drawing backwards.

“I’m sorry,” Shikaku said, “but you’re not the girl I want.”

The woman had left him alone, and he stood in utter and absolute shock as he let realization wash over him. He glanced over his shoulder at his friends, both of who had stared at him wide eyed. Chouza’s lips were quirking up at the left corner, and he seemed proud above all. Inoichi had just been dumbfounded. As fast as they came, their expressions quickly turned to pity and sorrow. He felt his chest grow restless and before he knew it, he was at the door of the tavern, not looking back.

Rain poured violently, but he didn’t seem to notice the heavy drops falling on him, soaking him wet within minutes. His feet ran across the narrow streets, soon taking him upwards to the rooftops.

His mind became a scrambled mess of thoughts. There was a lingering question that had been beating him senseless; and he had to know the answer. The itch grew more unbearable the closer he got to the mansion.

Shikaku found himself walking the trim of the second floor and knocking on a window. No answer. He knocked again; a bit harder than the first time. No answer. Shikaku pressed his forehead to the glass, his jaw tightened and eyebrows narrowed at thoughts of events to come tomorrow. He felt actual, physical ache in the middle of his ribcage that wouldn’t go away.

“Yoshino,” he called and knocked for the third time, when the window was finally opened.

“Shikaku? Are you insane? You could fall!”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. He left wet trails on the marble floor behind him as he followed her further into the room.

“I’m a jonin rank shinobi, I really doubt I would fall that easily.”

“Why are you here?”

The question sparked slight panic inside him, and he barely willed himself to speak, “I just wanted to see how you were.”

“How do you think?” Yoshino snickered. 

“Miserable, I imagine.”

“Did you come here to rub that in my face?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“No… I’m sorry for snapping at you, none of this is your fault; I’m just– miserable,” she exhaled loudly with more sadness and resignation in her voice than ever before. She looked up at him with pleading eyes and he could’ve sworn to all the gods he’d do anything to not see her like this.

The small distance between them slowly grew even smaller by the second; until she was close enough so he could lean forward and rest his forehead against hers. He felt her heartbeat pick up the pace at the sudden intimacy, much like his own. Their chest heaved in sync, craving desperately for more.

Shikaku swallowed hard.

“Fuck,” he muttered breathlessly through his teeth as clarity overcame him. He leaned further and she pushed herself up to meet his lips with equal urgency. His hands were resting steady on the sides of her face and neck, holding her safely where she was supposed to be.

She whimpered against him and bit his lower lip lightly and Shikaku tossed all common sense out the metaphorical window. He felt her skinny hands slide up his stomach and chest, all the way to his shoulders. She shoved his wet uniform vest off of him, quickly pulling at his shirt too.

“Shikaku,” she whispered, heavy breaths falling on the skin of his neck. She looked up into his eyes and pleaded, “promise you won’t forget me.”

* * *

She lay awake on his warm chest at the crack of dawn. The rain had stopped hours ago, not that she noticed until she saw golden rays of sunshine pouring through the window. She felt his fingers gently combing through her long hair and it was oddly calming, especially considering that Yoshino never liked having people play with her hair. His tender motions would’ve lulled her to sleep had it not been for the fact that today was the day she gives her life away.

“I have to go back to my room,” he whispered and she felt tears bottling up in the corners of her eyes at the finality of his words.

“I know.”

She pulled away from his arms, leaving the bed altogether and picking up her nightgown from the floor. She heard him shuffle in bed, and couldn’t bare to turn to look at him get dressed and leave. He had given her what she asked for; _a night with a handsome man she felt safe with_. More, even, considering that this would be their second night together. And that would have to do, no matter how much more she wanted.

She slipped back into her nightgown, determined to keep her pain and rage down. She wouldn’t cry. Not in front of him, or anyone else for that matter. Half lost in thought, she barely noticed Shikaku standing in front of her now, fully dressed. His clothes were still somewhat wet from the rain.

“You’ll catch a cold,” she said dryly.

He had no reply. Shikaku approached the window and looked out from behind the curtain, “Looks like the coast is clear,” he said and opened the window.

Yoshino’s breath was stuck in her throat as she observed him. He wasn’t leaving, not yet.

“Shikaku, wait…” she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, stopping him, “thank you for showing me what my life could’ve been like.”

She closed his eyes shut as he stroked her cheeks gently. She tilted her head to lean into his palm, wrapping her skinny fingers around his wrist. He leaned over her slowly, placing one last kiss on her lips.

They exchanged smiles like it was the last time they’d ever see each other. Then he let her go and disappeared through the window.

She looked in the distance, tracing her lip lightly with her fingers and smiled. The chilly morning breeze puffed her hair out of her face, and she wiped away tears from her cheeks. She must have been the most miserable yet the luckiest woman on the planet, she deemed, for she had the luck of feeling loved even if it was for only a few brief moments – nights she’d never forget. She gave him her body, but he took her soul. And she was glad that it now belonged to him, where it’s safe.


	7. Creating Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer/TW: This chapter contains what might potentially be a triggering scene in the second part, where Yoshino and her new unwanted husband go to the bedroom. Please note that NO involuntary sexual activity happens.

“Shikaku, I need to talk to you,” Chouza announced after finding him alone in the garden. The day had become particularly misty in the late morning. Yoshino had been taken to the mountain temple to pray for good fortune in her upcoming marriage – at least that’s how tradition dictated. He imagined she would just pray for survival and minimal contact with her husband.

“What is it?”

“How do I put this delicately,” Chouza hesitated, which prompted Shikaku to stand up from the bench he’d been sitting on, and fully face his friend, “there’s going to be a bedding ceremony.”

“That’s a ridiculously outdated tradition,” he said, and it slowly sunk in that something terrible was going to happen tonight. He tried his best to not think about it for days, but the fact was, the old man would take her to bed and make her his own; and he couldn’t escape the truth anymore.

“Not in Kiri, apparently.”

The bedding ceremony had been something specific to marriages in feudal families. Upon the end of the wedding feast, the newlyweds were to go the bedroom to consummate their marriage, while two witnesses waited at the door for proof of a successful marital activity – a bloody sheet which they would take and show to the rest of the wedding guests. The more blood – the merrier. It was considered a great honor to be selected as a witness.

It was a ridiculous ordeal, considering that not all girls would necessarily bleed on their first time. Women used to get around this particular problem by using many tricks such as blood bottled in small vials that would be used to stain themselves prior to the event.

If you asked him Shikaku thought the whole ritual was invented to humiliate women.

“It gets worse,” Chouza continued, and Shikaku’s widened his eyes at his friend as he couldn’t possibly understand how much worse it could get.

“You’ve been selected to bear witness to the bedding ceremony.”

“No,” he shook his head violently, “absolutely fucking not.” 

The mere idea made his blood boil with rage. Shikaku envisioned himself standing at the other side of the door with his forehead pressed to the surface of the wall, cringing as he listens to her screams inside unable to help. The thought had become his worst nightmare, and he knew it would be a million times worse for her.

“I figured you might say that, which is why I insinuated that Lady Yoshino despises you, and it would be considered a great disrespect to have someone she hates be a part of such an intimate moment, so I took that place instead and Inoichi would be handing her over.”

“Thank you,” Shikaku barely managed to squeeze out, and Chouza simply nodded in understanding.

“Shikaku, listen. I hate this as much as you do – well maybe not in exactly the same way, but – I do hate it nonetheless,” Chouza placed his hand firmly on Shikaku’s shoulder, looked straight into his eyes and whispered, “if you have an idea, _any_ idea at all about how to walk around this one I’m listening brother, but we are running out of time.”

Shikaku opened his mouth to speak, but they were interrupted by a familiar figure approaching them. Luckily, she was far enough to not hear them talking, but he had a feeling she suspected a thing or two about the topic of their conversation. His eyes narrowed a little as a vague memory flickered in his mind and he seemed to have found the missing piece to a very simple plan. The closer she got his thoughts became clear, solid.

“Gentlemen,” Michiko said cheerfully as she got closer, “it’s a pleasure to see you both again.”

“The pleasure is all ours, Lady Michiko,” Chouza responded politely, quickly turning his face into a cheerful expression.

“Might I have a word with Shikaku Nara in private?”

That was a lucky coincidence for him. Chouza looked at him uncertainly, but after Shikaku gave him a reassuring nod, Akimichi bowed at the woman and made his retreat.

“How may I help you, Lady Michiko?”

She smiled gently and approached the bench behind him, inviting him to take a seat with her. Shikaku silently obeyed.

“I’ve heard great many stories of the esteemed Nara clan, and of course – of the genius son and heir of the clan head that is you, Shikaku. Is it true that your intelligence level is unparalleled in all of five great nations?”

“People seem to think so, yes,” he hesitated, keeping his eyes on her steadily, observing her face.

Her features were kind and gentle, and she did not seem to resemble her father in the slightest of ways. But looks can deceive, he was well aware of the fact, so he decided to see how the conversation will play out before he decided whether or not to put his trust into her.

“Interesting. You see, since I’m nothing but a gentle looking woman, people often assume that I’m dumb, but you’ll find that I’m quite observant. For instance, I’m very aware of the fact that my father is the most hated person in this land, did you know that?”

“I did not,” he lied with a blank expression on his face, not missing a beat. He liked her insinuations so far.

“You don’t trust me. Why?”

“I find it hard to trust anyone but myself nowadays.”

“Very well, I can respect that; given that I feel the same way. Yet here I am, trusting you. Do you know why?”

“Do enlighten me, Lady Michiko,” he said.

“I see the way you look at her – my future step mother. It sounds so ridiculous, calling a girl younger than me that,” she chuckled, “and you’re fooling yourself if you think that my father doesn’t know about you two. Why do you think he’s insisting on having _you_ in particular bear witness to their bedding ceremony? He wants to humiliate her, and he wants to hurt you; and he’s going to succeed if you let him. The question, Shikaku is – will you let him?”

“I’ll admit one thing,” Shikaku said and allowed a small smirk to creep up on his face, “I underestimated you.”

* * *

She sat still as a stone figure, with no expressions on her face as she let her ladies in waiting put makeup on her pale, bony features, do her hair, and squeeze her into a huge, heavy dress that hung from her waist. Her bones were hurting from the added weight of the lush fabric and her feet were sore in the shoes they’ve picked out for her. It was her wedding day, and it was nothing like she imagined it would be like when she was little. Nothing was right; not the hair, not the makeup, not the dress or the shoes, and not the groom.

Being a so-called princess, she’d always imagined she would marry a prince. A fool, naïve little girl she’d been.

She had been taken to the temple in the mountains this morning to pray for a fruitful marriage; not that she did. All she prayed for was escape from this hell. She thought about trying to run several times, but Hiroshi’s guards were with her and her ladies the whole time; and she imagined they wouldn’t be as kind as her Konohan escort if she tried to pull off something funny.

Yoshino stood in her room waiting for the man who’d be the one to hand her over to her future husband. She hoped Shikaku would be the one to take her down the aisle; she wanted to be close to him. Maybe she could convince him to stay here, transfer to Kiri. It was not uncommon for women to take lovers if they were not happy in their marriage. But how selfish could she be to ask him such a thing? He had a life after all. One that did not include her.

_I will never marry,_ his words echoed in his head as he remembered one of their conversations; it had been his reply to her telling him she wishes he wouldn’t be as unfortunate as her to be forced to marry someone he didn’t want. And true to the word, he never did seem like the marrying kind. The statement gave her an odd sense of comfort, knowing that it wouldn’t be just her that couldn’t be with him.

Not that she particularly wanted to marry him, but the thought of him loving someone who wasn’t her had made her restless. Jealous. It was another one of her selfish sentiments. She felt pathetic.

Her heart leapt when the door of her room opened, but it was Inoichi who came to take her. They never spoke a word, just looked at each other with great sadness. She took his hand and let her walk her through the halls, to the room where she’d be married to a Lord.

There were a lot of people attending the ceremony. – people she did not know. She had looked everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. She’d hoped to at least see him one last time. She wanted to just look him in the eyes again, just one look, to give her strength for the night to come. But he wasn’t there.

Did he not care about her in the slightest that he couldn’t be bothered to be there for what she knew was the worst day of her life?

She did see Chouza, with the same regretful look on his face as Inoichi had. Full of pity for her. It almost made her angry.

She stood at the altar, next to the man who would be her husband. Next to the man who made her feel nothing but disgust and fear, yet she’d be required to share a bed with him for the nights to come. For the rest of her life, or rather – his. The misery washed over her, but she held her chin up proudly, refusing to cringe.

_I will show them no fear._

The officiant of the ceremony spoke about true love, destiny, children and a blissful future, and all she could hope for, god forgive her, was that Hiroshi would die as soon as possible and there would be no future for them. She could last for a while. She could survive. Could she?

Hiroshi’s dirty cracked hand held hers as they were being blessed. Then, her new husband kissed her and it took all of her strength and willpower to stop from throwing up in her own mouth.

The evening had become a blur. There was music and clamor all around her, but she had distanced herself in her own little world and she heard no sound, no voice. Her mind was blank and she was a million miles away.

Her appetite had grown increasingly the further the evening had progressed. Several lush courses were served, but despite the hunger, she found that she couldn’t stomach eating – she felt like she would vomit instantly if she tried. So she didn’t. She contemplated drinking enough until she could pass out and not remember anything, but she feared that it could also be another potential danger to her.

After the wedding cake, the time had arrived.

Her whole body trembled as she let her husband take her back to his chambers. Chouza and Michiko followed close behind them as witnesses to the bedding. She could only imagine what would happen to her when her Lord husband doesn’t see blood on his sheets as he expects.

They entered his room, leaving the two witnesses behind the closed door. The bedroom was huge, and it even had a big balcony. She thought about running out there and throwing herself from it, but she lacked the cowardice for it so instead – she remained immobile. Involuntary tears were rolling down her face as the old wrinkly worm she could now call a husband, undressed her. She felt the weight of the wedding dress fall down, and was left standing in her undergarments.

He was circling around her like a hawk, until he stood in front of her again. She felt him soaking her up with his eyes and it was mortifying. Hiroshi smiled at her, flashing rotting teeth and she couldn’t help but shudder. And he saw.

Pure fear overcame her as she saw his irises grow dark and his lip frown at the disrespect that she’d shown him. And then he slapped her.

She staggered back and tripped over the heavy fabric of her dress, falling down on the floor, scared for her life. Her whole body was quivering. He was old but he was still stronger than her, and it had enraged her to no end that she couldn’t fight back. That’s what you get when you are raised to be a proper lady; if she were a kunoichi she could have easily killed him. Maybe she could smother him with a pillow after he falls asleep. The thoughts were racing through her head, until her brain froze when he lowered down on top of her and his hand reached for her undergarments. She wanted to scream, but no sound came from her lips.

Her face was wet. _Shikaku. Think about Shikaku_. She reminded herself. Her eyes were shut close. She thought she heard Shikaku’s voice inside her head say some words she didn’t understand and then the single word she did – _success_.

The old man’s movements stopped, and his hand that had been an inch away from her undergarments had retreated.

“ _Shintenshin; completed_ ,” Hiroshi said.

She opened her eyes when she realized that he stood up and moved away from her. She pulled the giant skirt of her dress to cover herself and stared at the man with fear in her eyes. What did that mean? What is he going to do to her now?

“Yoshino, it’s Inoichi,” the old man said as he offered her his hand, but she was still in shock and believed to be hallucinating quite frankly. She hadn’t moved a single muscle. “Shikaku get in here quicker, she’s scared of me,” the man spoke.

Yoshino’s heart beat fast, mind still a scrambled mess as she looked around the room. Shikaku emerged from the balcony, carrying Inoichi’s body over his shoulder. She could only muster the strength so smile weakly at him before she was reduced to sobbing. He threw Inoichi’s body on the bed and pulled a sheet from underneath, then rushed over to her to wrap her up in it.

“Come on, doll,” he whispered softly, hot breaths falling her cheeks, “I’ve got you.”

He picked her up and carried her to the bed where he gently lowered her down to sit on the soft mattress and he knelt in front of her, his hands placed firmly at the sides of her thighs.

She couldn’t breathe properly, her lungs were itching as she attempted to gasp for air. The panic had finally overwhelmed her, but it seemed to quickly fade with Shikaku’s gentle touches as he was inspecting her face, focusing intently on what she could only imagine to be a bruise or redness on her cheek where Hiroshi had hit her.

She had never seen him so positively outraged than in that very moment.

“I’m _so_ sorry we’re so late,” he whispered softly, his face apologetic. She felt his thumb brush against her cheek and it had to have been the most sensational feeling she’d ever felt in her life. “You had to be alone for this to work without a flaw. The bedroom is the only place guards don’t follow him, and we couldn’t risk it just anywhere. I can’t believe the dipshit dared to hit you,” she heard anger in his voice.

“I don’t understand, Inoich-” Yoshino began, struggling to understand what had just happened, but he didn’t let her finish.

“That’s Inoichi inside the old man’s body,” he spoke slowly, and she turned to look at Hiroshi who admittedly seemed to have a very different face than the one before. A gentler, friendlier one. “It’s a special Yamanaka clan technique. He can control him now, and he is going to sign that peace treaty that he promised to sign after taking you, and then he is going to annul your marriage under the pretense that he couldn’t… _perform_ on your wedding night.”

“Well, technically,” Hiroshi – no, Inoichi spoke, “I am going to fail to provide the proof of bedding which will allow the witnesses, Chouza and Michiko, to motion for an annulment as he’s not fit to be a husband.”

Yoshino, still seated on the bed, listened to their plan carefully and a broken smile creeped up on her face as she realized that a sexist tradition such as the bedding ceremony can easily be turned against the man in favor of the woman. It had only been fair.

“Then he’ll pass the title of the Lord to Hiroshi’s grandson and we can get the fuck out of here and take you back home.”

“Hisahito?”

Shikaku nodded. “And since Hisahito is just a little boy, his title would be represented by his mother until he comes of age. And I assure you, Michiko has no intentions of marrying you to uphold the deal her father made with your grandfather. The peace will stand without a marriage.”

“But what happens when Inoichi returns to his own body? Won’t he tell everyone that he was manipulated?”

“He’ll never know,” Inoichi began, “He’s _very_ old, which means it’s very easy for me to plant fake memories into his brain. First one being that he could not perform on his wedding night, which makes the marriage unconsummated, so it can be annulled easily – he can’t really have any say in it with the witnesses there.”

“I’m loving this plan more than I ever thought possible, but I just don’t see how he’d let the title go before he died. You’ve seen how selfish he is, and his council will notice the sudden change of behavior. I mean no offense to your acting skills, Inoichi – but you are not nearly as repulsive to pass as him.”

“Oh sweet Yoshino, you underestimate me. I’ll go poking around his brain to make him senile. And that in itself causes for the title of the Lord to be passed on to the next in kin.”

“Seeing a beautiful young woman naked can really mess an old dude like that up, maybe even give him a heart attack,” Shikaku suggested casually, but Inoichi seemed to disapprove.

“So, we are really doing this?” She asked after a brief pause and gripped the sheets tightly to her body. “We’re committing treason for my sake?”

“Technically, _we_ aren’t – Michiko is. We’re just…assisting,” Shikaku smirked victoriously, and she couldn’t help but start laughing.


	8. Breaking down

Shikaku was standing at the balcony door and Yoshino was sitting on the bed next to Inoichi’s body, now fully clothed, with her hands carefully folded in her lap. They stood in silence, waiting for real Inoichi to return. He had helped her get dressed into her gown again, but aside from that, they barely spoke. She felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. She wanted to thank him, to hug him and kiss him, but the mood wasn’t right.

There was a knock at the door and she saw Shikaku’s head snap in the direction of the noise. She noticed she had been gripping the sheets on the bed unconsciously and that her jaw had been clenched. Then there were two more quick knocks and seeing Shikaku relax upon the noise made her tension go away.

“It went without a hitch,” Lord Hiroshi controlled by Inoichi entered the room and announced with a grin on his face. “The peace treaty is signed, and we can be on our way right now, by the good graces of the new Feudal _Lady_ of Kirigakure.”

“Michiko? Already?” Shikaku asked.

“Yes. The circumstances could not have been better. I threw a fit on account of my _mechanical issues_ and demanded that this ‘ _good for nothing woman’_ be returned to bloody Konoha. Hiroshi’s right-hand man then suggested that maybe it was time I renounced the title, so of course that caused for another scene. I believe everyone on the council is now fully convinced that he’d gone mad.”

“So, we can go? Just like that?” she asked.

“Yes, my lady,” Inoichi bowed.

“Oh, Inoichi, I’ll hug you – but after you return to your own body. I am not coming anywhere near… _that,_ ” she gestured towards him with a mild disgust, “no offense.”

“What would you hug _him_ for? It was _my_ plan,” Shikaku joked and Yoshino shook her head with a smile dancing on her lips. She couldn’t believe that she was free to go back and fought hard to suppress the urge to grin from ear to ear.

“I hate to interrupt you two lovebirds, but we really do have more pressing matters here.”

“Alright, here’s the play,” Shikaku started, and put on his serious-mission-face. Yoshino noticed how he became much more handsome when he talked about strategies. He always seemed to know what he is doing, and it suddenly made him look irresistible. “I’ll go out the balcony, taking Inoichi’s body with me. You will summon Yoshino’s ladies to bring her adequate traveling clothes, and when she’s done changing, send Chouza to come take her. When he does, return to your body so we can get moving.”

“Hai,” Inoichi said. Yoshino smiled and nodded. Shikaku winked at her before grabbing Inoichi’s body, throwing it over his shoulder and disappearing through the balcony door. Her very own hero.

Not that she ever thought of herself as a girl who needed a hero – she firmly believed she could be that for herself. Admittedly, help never hurt anyone.

“Are you ready to get the hell out of here, Yoshino?” Inoichi asked.

“Why are you even asking?”

* * *

The next time she saw him again was in front of the manor, where she and Chouza regrouped with him and Inoichi, and went on their way to Kiri’s harbor. Her heart had been pounding so fast, she almost felt like she would collapse at any given moment. She couldn’t believe she was going home. She couldn’t believe Shikaku made it all happen.

True to her word, she did hug Inoichi the second they were out of the city gates. She hugged Chouza and Shikaku was well, and she knew that his friends saw that the hug she gave _him_ lingered a bit longer; that it had been more intimate and more emotionally driven. Yoshino knew that they already knew that something had happened between them – there’s no way they wouldn’t notice the change in their dynamic. It had been more than evident.

She was walking side by side with Chouza, with Shikaku and Inoichi well behind them, acting as cover if anything should happen.

“I know why _I’m_ happy, but what are _you_ smiling about?” She asked Chouza who could not wipe a smile off his face.

“I’m really glad Shikaku whipped up this plan and you don’t have to be married to that old bat. We all hated this mission; I hope you know that. Also, I think I might win a bet soon, so there’s that.”

Yoshino smiled gently at the mention and thought of Shikaku. She wasn’t the type of a woman to be a damsel in distress – far from it, but just this once it felt good to know she wasn’t alone and had protection from things she couldn’t fight on her own. She couldn’t wait to go home.

Home. Back at her grandfather’s house, where he will probably arrange a new marriage for her. And Shikaku most likely won’t be there to save her next time. Suddenly all the feelings of joy crumbled into dust. It was hard to breathe again.

No. She did her duty. She was free now. Free to love whoever she wants, free to not marry anyone if she so pleases. If only things were so easy. Maybe she could actually run away this time.

“A bet?” She asked at last, recalling mentions of some sort, trying to stop herself from being too paranoid so quickly. She should enjoy this while she can.

“Oh, it’s a long story. How about I tell you some other time?” He said politely.

“Of course,” Yoshino smiled, covering her new worries with a little chuckle.

The road was the same except her mood has drastically changed from the last time they walked the same path in a different direction. She did not complain or nag and instead she enjoyed the good banter with the boys. At some point Inoichi said something among the lines of _you are fun when you are not being a bitch_ , and she didn’t even get upset which further proved his point – sort of.

The night had been cold, but the prospect of being on the ship back home soon gave her the strength to push on like a trooper. Every inch of her body still physically hurt from the stress and from the fall that she’d suffered when she tripped. The bruises that had formed weren’t pleasant. She hadn’t seen them, but she felt them on her back, and all she wanted was to soak herself in a bath and let the water wash away everything. She was offered to freshen up back in the residence that now belonged to Lady Michiko, but all she wanted to do is hit the road as soon as possible. And nobody blamed her.

They had arrived to the ship late in the night or rather early in the morning. Sense of relief washed over her the second they sailed off into the sea, towards the Land of Fire. She was in her cabin resting, if you could really call it that. She couldn’t quite fall asleep; was it the trauma, or the pain she felt on her skin and in her bones with every position she’d tried, it didn’t matter. Maybe that bath would be a good idea just about now.

Yoshino picked up some clothes, and stepped out of her room, headed towards the little cabin with the tub in it. On her short way, she heard noises coming from Shikaku’s room. And her stomach twisted when she’d realized that she recognized just what kind of noise it had been. Hell, whichever girl was in there didn’t really bother trying to be subtle, and Yoshino felt her face heat up with rage and jealousy.

She slammed a heavy swing on the door and yelled, “People are trying to sleep, you absolute jackass!”

That ought to teach him to at least have some decency around her – not that he owed her anything. She was well aware that just because they’ve spent a couple of nights together it didn’t mean he loved her and she wasn’t even sure she loved him. But she _wanted_ him. She was pretty sure that he felt at least _something_ for her, judging by the way he’d kissed her the last time. Until just now.

Her envy had soon disappeared when another feeling washed over her – the surprise when the door opened, and it had been Inoichi standing on the other side, heavy breaths and sweat dripping down his face, pressing a pillow to his crotch.

“I-Inochi–” she stood wide eyed and stared at the man, startled, relieved and embarrassed at the same time.

“My apologies Yoshino I–”

“No, no, carry on,” she said nervously, covering her face with the palm of her head. She wanted to storm back into her own cabin and scream into her pillow. She made a mental note to herself to stop jumping to conclusions.

She heard another door open, and saw Shikaku and Chouza stepping out from a different cabin in a hurry – one that had originally been Chouza and Inoichi’s. Great, she had woken everyone up and made a complete fool or herself. Lovely.

“Wha–” Chouza went to say with eyes half shut, when he spotted Inoichi, “oh for fuck’s sake dude, where do you find the damn energy?”

“Hey! I’ve been in Hiroshi’s head and seen some horrible things. I deserve a treat,” Inoichi yelled, but then turned to her and his voice grew softer, “I’m sorry Yoshino, I will ask the lovely lady inside to keep it down,” he announced and shut the door of his cabin. Yoshino turned to look at the two men on the other side of the narrow hall. Chouza had already went back inside, but she heard him mumbling some curses. Shikaku stood in front of the room, leaning against the wall arms crossed, with the most self-satisfied smirk on his face.

“You thought it was me in there, did you?” He grinned at her and her face turned red.

“…no,” she said, unconvincingly.

Shikaku chuckled and walked over to her slowly. She felt her heart leap at his closeness. His hands brushing away the strands of hair off her face to inspect the bruise she’d earned from the slap her almost-husband was so generous to leave her with. The look on Shikaku’s face had been half of worry and half of rage.

“Does it hurt?”

“No,” she lied, more convincingly than before but still not enough, as he saw right through it.

“I’ll prepare a herb ointment for it and for the ones on your back,” he said softly. She smiled and nodded. When did she stop pretending to be invincible in front of him?

He went back to the cabin, and she continued onwards to pursue that bath she’d been fantasizing about. It took her quite a while to fill up the tub with medium hot water. She knew cold would be better for her bruises, but she couldn’t quite stand it so she found a medium temperature that she found fitting for herself.

Soaking in the bath felt sensational. She relaxed as much as she could, letting all of her worries wash away. The muscle relaxation felt soothing, and she found herself almost falling asleep. But somehow, despite her efforts and despite the comfort she had felt in the moment, tension found it’s way back to her body.

She bent slightly forward, wrapping her skinny arms around her knees, burying her face down, and began sobbing. She wasn’t quite sure of the reason behind the overwhelming sadness and fear she’d felt. The whole ordeal with what had almost been her wedding night must have had a far greater impact on her than she’d realized. Her breathing grew faster and her lungs itched with every breath she took. Hyperventilation in itself was stressful and made her eyes tear up even more.

She heard a knock at the door, but she could not stop sobbing enough to respond.

“Yoshino, may I come in please?” She heard his voice plead, but she didn’t want him to see her like this. She couldn’t allow herself to be so emotional around him, it was getting ridiculous.

“Yes,” she barely managed to say. She may not have thought that she wanted him inside, but her heart spoke faster than her brain. It took him a second to burst in and get next to her. He hadn’t spoken a single word, but she felt his hands take hers and guide her slowly to stand up. Her legs were shaky, but she managed to do it for a brief moment. He wrapped a towel around her gently, and picked her up in his arms. Her mind had been hazy and it felt like she’d spaced out because the next thing she knew, he was putting her down on her bed.

“Why am I always breaking down in front of you?” She spoke softly as her breathing slowly returned to normal. “You must think I’m so feeble.”

“You are the bravest woman I’ve ever met, doll,” he said with glistening eyes, and she suddenly felt respected and safe. Loved.


	9. Under the Moonlight

“Another!” She roared and slammed an empty glass on the table.

Shikaku had never seen her like this before, and he found himself unable to wipe a smirk off his face. She had truly been a force of nature. To have such a lively spirit now, when only twenty-four hours prior she had been living her worst nightmare, was admirable.

She had been asleep for most of the day ever since he’d taken her to her cabin last night. He had placed her in her bed, and applied the herbal ointment he’d made for her bruises. She whimpered silently under his gentle touch, but she hadn’t winced once. Shikaku had instructed her to sleep on her tummy and let her back breathe, and so she did. He had stayed for a while, just watching over her from afar, afraid to look away. When dawn came, Chouza finally dragged him to his room to get some proper rest himself.

This Yoshino today had been a delight to observe. She reminded him of the girl he had met that night in a bar. One that had a sharp response for every bullshit targeted at her. Admittedly, they didn’t see eye to eye during their first encounter. But now, seeing the wit and sass and fun, the fierce but gentle woman that she truly was, he was hypnotized. He could listen to her for hours to no end.

The smile she wore so proudly made her eyes somehow shine brighter.

All three men were listening to her mischievous childhood stories, with tears piling up in the corners of their eyes from laughter. Chouza was wheezing so hard his stomach hurt.

“Who knew you’d be _this_ fun,” Inoichi remarked and she elbowed his chest with a smug face.

“I’m full of surprises.”

“I would say that’s a correct statement,” Shikaku said slowly, glancing at the clock on the wall behind Chouza, “given the fact that you’ve officially been keeping up with everyone’s drinking without getting drunk for full three hours, so – congratulations.”

All three men pulled out their wallets and placed money on the table. Yoshino smiled and grabbed the little pile, dragging it across the table to right in front of her.

“Thank you, gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure betting with you.”

“Remind me never to bet with her again, she’s sneaky,” Inoichi whispered to Shikaku and he couldn’t help but smirk.

“Yeah, we should stop underestimating this one,” he said, his eyes intently focused on hers. Her lids were heavy and half shut, but he recognized the pure fiery strength she radiated from her brown eyes. She seemed to have a way of lighting a fire under his ass – and one he desperately needed.

“Well, I’m done for tonight,” Chouza announced as he stood up, then stopped and looked at Inoichi, “Yamanaka, so help me god, if I wake up again tonight because of your bullshit, you will mysteriously fall overboard and never be heard from again.”

“I’ll put the silencing jutsu to soundproof the cabin,” Inoichi replied flatly, without so much as lifting his head up. Chouza grimaced.

“Chouza, I was the one that woke you up with my yelling, so please don’t be upset with him,” Yoshino said gently.

“I’m always mad at him, it’s how we play,” Akimichi replied, and slowly made his way through the door.

“I’m going too,” Inoichi announced, looking at the distance, his view following the motion of the servant girl who was seemingly doing chores, “some girls seem to be eager to visit me in my cabin for some entertainment, if ya know what I mean.”

“I always know what you mean,” Shikaku replied flatly. To think that a similar scenario had happened to him on the journey to Kiri just several days ago seemed unreal. Falling in love had never been Shikaku’s thing; he had always loved women, but without actually truly _loving_ them. But with Yoshino, falling in love seemed like the easiest thing in the world. It happened to naturally, so effortlessly, that even a genius like him hadn’t seen it coming.

“What are you thinking about?” Yoshino’s voice snapped him back to reality, where Inoichi seemed to have already left the room, leaving the two of them alone at the round table. Being seated across from her gave him the opportunity to look at her nonstop without seeming forced.

“Nothing,” he lied and offered her a smile, “I guess I’m just more tired than I thought I would be.”

“Me too. Is it weird to say that I want to go to sleep even though I’ve slept through most of the day?”

“Not at all. I honestly hadn’t expected you to wake up until tomorrow. You’d be surprised what stress can do to your body.”

“Shikaku,” she started softly and he could feel his gut twist and his chest flutter at the subtle change of her tone of voice, “I can’t remember if I ever properly thanked you for everything that you did for me but – thank you. I can’t imagine what my life would’ve b–”

“Stop,” he whispered, his eyes closed, “you don’t have to thank me for that. Anyone would’ve done the same.”

“But they wouldn’t. My family could’ve easily stopped this, but nobody had the guts to go against my grandfather. I think–” she paused uncertainly, and Shikaku waited for her words, “I think that Hokage-sama knew that your team was the only one who could’ve done this, which is why he insisted that you be my escort when I complained. I think he knew you’d figure out a way to help me without jeopardizing everything.”

Shikaku had played with this same thought more than once himself, and he was certain that it was exactly the reason they were chosen for this specific mission. Minato, as kind and gentle as he was, had been smart, and cunning – in a good way.

“So, from the bottom of my heart, Shikaku, thank you. I just wish there was something I could give you in return.”

He chuckled at the notion that she hadn’t realized how much she had given him already.

“You can,” he said playfully, “just stay as strong as brave as you are. Knowing that you’ll be fine is a reward enough.”

He swallowed hard before he dared to say the thoughts that had been bothering him constantly ever since they left Kiri. 

“Yoshino,” Shikaku started, his eyes set on hers, “you undoubtedly know that your problems aren’t over. Your grandfather will probably try to arrange another marriage for you as soon as we get back. So, if you want, we won’t stop you from running away.”

“I know. I thought about running, but it’s not that easy.”

“Why not?”

“I have nowhere to go, Shikaku. To find a place to live I first need to have a paying job. Who would hire me with zero experience? Besides, I’m sure they would just find me and drag me back. Not even the law would stop my grandfather from getting what he wants.”

“The law?”

“Yes, the one that says that if a woman of noble blood has her marriage annulled, divorced or is widowed, she does not have the obligation to marry anyone else of her family’s choosing. He would just end up manipulating me like he always does. Like all of them do. There will always be wars to stop, and women of noble blood like myself and the means to turn enemies into allies.”

“They can’t force you to marry anyone if you are already married.” Shikaku said bluntly, instinctively.

“Yeah, there’s just one little problem – _Who_ will marry me? You know how difficult I am, and men aren’t particularly fond of loud and opinionated women.”

“You are also very troublesome,” he pointed out helpfully.

“Thank you for reminding me,” she mocked, “nobody wants trouble.”

“I do.”

“Excuse me?”

“Marry me.”

 _Fuck._ What was he saying? Shikaku’s own brain could not comprehend the words coming out of his mouth. He would marry her? Of course he would. He’d find her someone else to marry her if it meant her safety. Hell, he’d die for her.

“Shikaku, I don’t– I don’t understand. What are you doing? You can’t joke like–”

“I’m not joking,” he said, his face dead serious. “I’m asking you to marry me.”

“Why?” She stood up abruptly and started pacing around, wooden boards squeaking under her steps. He thought how she looked adorable when she was nervous. “You’d throw your life away just to help me? Or do you feel obligated because we’ve had sex.”

“No, woman, are you crazy? That’s not why I am doing it,” Shikaku said as he stood up slowly and walking around the table to her. He grabbed her by her shoulders and anchored her in place. Once she stopped moving, his hands dropped next to his body. “I would marry you for my own selfish reasons, because I _want you_. I’m in love with you.”

He noticed her chest start to heave faster, and his own followed in anticipation. Her lips spoke no words, but the rest of her body had given him a response. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with urgency.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” he whispered.

“Shikaku, I need you to know I’m not saying yes just to get out of my misery. I’m saying yes because I’m in love with you.”

Shikaku gave her a small nod. He swallowed hard as he let an unfamiliar type of happiness paint a smile on his face.

“Can I tell Inoichi? Because he told me you would only marry Lady Tsunade once and I just really want to rub this in his face.”

“Ah, Lady Tsunade,” Shikaku sighed, looking up at the ceiling dramatically, “she is probably the most beautiful woman in the world. Big fan of plenty of her features and skills.” he looked back down at her, to see her unamused face and then flashed a smile. “But, she’s not you.”

“Good save.”

* * *

“I knew it,” Chouza smiled.

“I knew it too, I just still don’t believe it.” Inoichi said.

“Two down, one to go,” Chouza said and looked at Inoichi suggestively.

“Chouza, not now. When is this wedding happening?”

“Tonight. I spoke with the captain of the ship – he agreed to officiate, and we need you two as witnesses.”

* * *

They stood underneath a clear dark sky with millions of stars shining down from above. He held her hand tightly, and she could honestly say she felt genuinely and wholeheartedly happy for the first time in a long while. She wore a simple dress with a rich skirt; one that had most resembled the wedding dress she always wanted to wear on her wedding day as a little girl. Everything was right as it was supposed to be.

Their fingers were tangled, and gentle squeezes exchanged. Her heart was beating fast from excitement and overwhelming happiness, it threatened to break through her ribs.

In the moment that the captain had pronounced them as officially married, they shared a long look. He looked at her like she was the brightest star on the sky and the glint was reflected in his eyes. He looked at her like he was making a promise to love her forever, and she believed it because she knew he’d be true to his word. He then kissed her to seal the promise, his hand firmly wrapping around her waist to bring her up closer to him.

They stood there for a while, smiling like fools and accepting congratulations from their two friends, but as soon as their first drinks were downed, Yoshino grabbed Shikaku by the hand and pulled him into her cabin. Their cabin.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” She asked him as she took off his uniform vest.

“We can’t do that,” he took her hands into his to stop her from undressing him further. She looked up at him curiously, waiting for an explanation, “I– I can’t. You went through a trauma, you were almost–” she saw him swallow the word before he would say it, “we should take things slow. I don’t want to hurt you or scare you.”

“You’re not,” she chuckled, “Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought I’d be traumatized again.”

“You can never really know that for sure.”

“Shikaku, I want to have sex with my husband on my wedding night,” she told him, looking deep into his eyes. She’d never seen him so insecure before. “Unless, he doesn’t want to?” She stepped closer to him, her hand sliding up his back gently.

“You know I do,” he said quietly, and she felt his hardness on her stomach as she pressed onto his body, “I just want to make sure you’re safe first.”

Yoshino loosened the elastic on his pants, removing the fabric out of the way. Then she pushed him backwards gently, positioning him to sit on the bed. She placed her knee at his hip, slowly lifting up her skirt to allow herself to sit in his lap comfortably. Her hand slid down his abs and gently wrapped around his erection. 

“Are you sure?” His voice had been hoarse.

She pulled her undergarments out of the way, freeing her entrance. She gasped at the first thrust she made and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She heard him let a muffled groan escape his lips, his hands firmly placed on her thighs over the skirt of her dress. She started rising and falling back onto him slowly, steadily.

“I’m sure,” she whispered.


	10. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the end; Huge thanks to everyone who has read the story and left feedback! Your lovely words mean a lot. I hope you will enjoy this final chapter.
> 
> Shoutout to my friend @lethargicshadowlover for all the support and beautiful comments she left on this piece! Your encouragement meant a lot and really helped me throughout the writing process, keeping me motivated to finish this fic.

The journey home was the same, except Inoichi was the only one without a wedding ring and Yoshino was far more pleasant to deal with on the return home.

Never in a million years had Shikaku imagined he would get married to anyone, let alone the most troublesome woman in the world. She was the same, except now he could see through her tough acts; behind her bossiness and the shrill tone was a woman whose heart is huge and filled with love, whose soul was aching for freedom and adventure. And so he had come to learn that even the toughest woman is gentle to the man she loves, and somehow that made up for all the trouble she could ever cause.

And while he felt like all the pieces are finally falling into place, there was one last trial they both had to face. He was to tell Minato – the Hokage, that he got married to the woman he was supposed to marry off to a foreign lord as a peace offering. And she, she was supposed to face her family and tell them where they can stick it.

Shikaku had proposed that she doesn’t tell them a thing and just goes straight to his place, but she insisted on doing it the proper way. He found it funny how she was so hell bent on being proper all of a sudden, when not a single part of their relationship happened in a proper way or order.

“You know, I actually _liked_ you when I first saw you – until you started talking,” he told her the night before they would reach Konoha, and she laughed so genuinely, so loudly, that he couldn’t help but do the same. She teased him playfully, until he’d pointed it out that she ended up marrying him anyway, so it was a win for him in the long run. 

Standing at the gate of his home town, Shikaku took a deep breath before he led the company inside with the sound of fallen leaves crunching under his feet.

“Everyone ready for this?” Chouza asked.

“Let’s just get it over with,” Inoichi said.

“Guys, can I get a moment alone with Yoshino?” Shikaku asked, and his friends simply nodded before walking away further to give them space. He watched their backs for a few seconds before finally turning to her.

“Are you sure you want to go alone?”

“Shikaku I’m not a child, I don’t need you to protect me with every step I take,” she said strictly, her eyes stubborn and determined.

“I’m very much aware of that, I just have a bad feeling about it.”

“Look, whatever shit happens there today, at the end of the day I’ll still be coming home to you,” she smiled wickedly at him, and her voice rang inside his ears like the most beautiful music. It was funny how she called _his_ house a _home_ even if she’d never set foot inside it. He couldn’t deny that he loved the sound of that.

“If I don’t see you within three hours, I’m coming to get you.”

“You know, I have to say, you being so protective of me feels nice. Even though I also hate it.”

“You are nothing but trouble, woman.”

“But you love me anyway.”

He slid his hand gently behind her neck, brushing the tender skin with his fingertips, until he could feel the strands of her hair tangling around his fingers. With a firm but tender move, he pulled her in closer for a quick kiss, confirming her previous statement if it wasn’t obvious already.

He loved her, god help him. More than he ever thought possible. He felt her lips curve into a smile against his, and he couldn’t stop himself from mimicking her.

It wasn’t long before the company parted. Yoshino took a left turn not too far in after they were past the gates, headed to her house, and the trio continued forward to the Hokage tower. There was an odd calm in the air – not awkward but not comfortable either. He was mentally preparing to report every element of their mission to the Hokage, including the part where he got married. To her.

The three men stood tall before their friend Minato, filling him in on every single detail verbally, as well as handing over the official written reports that each of them has prepared.

“I’m sorry, you _what_?”

“I got married.”

“ _You_ got married?!”

“Yes.”

“To Yoshino?”

“Yes.”

“The granddaughter of our Feudal Lord?”

“That’s the one.”

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment and fluttered his eyes shut.

“Am I in trouble?”

“N-no. No. I’m sorry for my reaction I just, I didn’t see this coming– congratulations,” Minato smiled kindly, still a little too obviously baffled by the news.

“Wait, you’re not pissed?”

“No, why should I be? The mission was a success – the peace treaty is signed. I knew you’d find a way out of it, but I honestly never could’ve predicted that you’d actually end up falling in love with her. It’s none of my business who you love, though.”

“Hold up – you _knew_ that we would– um, how do I put this delicately,” a beat, “color outside the lines?”

“Yes. It’s why I’ve chosen your team for this mission in the first place. I knew there was a way out of that horrible deal for Yoshino, I just needed your brain to figure out the exact details.”

“Oh, screw you,” Shikaku scoffed, “You owe me drinks. Lots of it.”

“I think you owe _me_ drinks considering that you just got married – which wouldn’t have happened if not for this mission.”

“Call it even?”

“Sure,” Minato laughed and the trio joined him. Shikaku felt relief – mostly. He was still worried about Yoshino and how her end of the things would go.

“Can we now go to the barbeque place? I’m starving!” Chouza roared, and Inoichi patted his back with a smile.

“You are dismissed,” Minato said, but before Shikaku fully turned to leave he stopped him once again, “Shikaku, do you have the official wedding papers with you?”

“Yeah,” he stood frozen, slightly concerned about the conversation that is to follow.

“Give them to me,” Minato extended his hand and Shikaku hesitated for a second before handing over the papers he had on him. “Don’t worry, I just wanted to add my signature and the official Hokage stamp to it. That way it will carry more weight when you present it to her family – you undoubtedly know they won’t let her go easy?”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

“Congratulations again, man. I’m really happy for you.”

* * *

After having a decent meal at their favorite barbeque place and long after he parted with his friends, Shikaku sat and waited at a small square in the park – their rendezvous place. He waited until it got dark outside, far longer than he’d told her he’ll wait.

He knew that she would not take it kindly if he didn’t let her handle things with her family her own way. He trusted her capability completely, but what he did not trust is her grandfather. 

Once the street lights have been lit, he had decided that he’s had enough of the waiting. Her being so incredibly late only meant one thing to him – she was being held hostage.

For a slight second, he thought he’d been overreacting, only to learn that he was absolutely right about everything once he’d shown up at her doorstep. The guards had been instructed to not let him in, and he found it both funny and concerning that the Feudal family did not have better men as protection, as he had easily pushed past every obstacle that they had thrown his way.

He stormed into the huge manor unceremoniously, demanding to speak with the Feudal Lord himself, hoping that the man would be reasonable enough to know that more guards won’t stop him – only piss him off. And he was right, as only moments later, he had been escorted to his office chambers.

“My name is Shikaku Nara, and I’ve come for Yoshino.”

“I know quite well who you are, my granddaughter has told me plenty already. Unfortunately, she cannot leave with you,” the old man spoke slowly, stubborn eyes looking straight into Shikaku’s dark ones, just as stubborn.

Shikaku finally chuckled, the sound both soft and petrifying with equal measure.

“You misunderstand, my Lord,” he insisted, very calmly. “I’m not _asking_. I’m _telling_ you that I’ve come for my _wife_ , and I will be leaving with her whether you like it or not.”

“Your marriage will be annulled. My granddaughter will marry a man her family sees fit, not some dead weight shinobi.”

“Annulled on what grounds? I know your laws, you don’t scare me nor can you trick me,” Shikaku stood his ground firmly, eyes intently on the old wrinkly man who sat behind the desk.

“On the grounds that you took advantage of a young girl who doesn’t know any better than to fall for an unscrupulous man such as yourself. How did you trick her?”

“I did no such thing as you suggest. Your granddaughter is a grown woman, far more capable than you give her credit for.”

“A foolish girl, one who is easily manipulated into giving in subconsciously, against her will.”

Shikaku’s hand tightened into a fist. Enough was enough and he was determined to end this once and for all, without holding back.

“You are the one that is keeping a woman – my woman, _against her will_ _here_. Feudal Lord or not, that’s breaking the law, and as her husband I have every right to demand justice so, unless you want me to call authorities, which I imagine you don’t as it will cause quite a scandal for your reputation, you’ll let her go.”

Lord Ichirou’s face remained unchanged to an untrained eye, but Shikaku noticed telltales of rage. Nostrils flaring lightly. Left eye twitching. Posture stiffened. The old man was enraged and felt threatened.

After a few moments of silence, he gestured the guards to take him to see Yoshino.

They led him through the halls, downstairs and then even lower, to the basement. Shikaku was enraged. Upon walking through the first door to the left in the basement, he clashed into a small body. Yoshino was breathless as if she had been running.

“Lady Yoshino, what are you doing outside of your cell?” The guard asked, grabbing her by the wrist instinctively, but promptly realized his mistake after Shikaku towered over him, squeezing _his_ wrist and snatching it away from hers.

“Don’t touch her,” he said in an eerily calm tone, slightly shaking his head from side to side, “ _never_ touch her.”

He could swear he saw her smile out the corner of his eyes.

Shikaku turned to look at her again, inspecting her face for any signs of distress, which he did not find. His concerned expression quickly changed into a proud one.

“You picked the lock, didn’t you?” He asked her with a smug smirk painted on his face, and she returned the gesture with a grin of her own.

“Of course.”

“That’s my girl,” he beamed with pride, and threw his arm around her shoulder, “when we get home, I’ll teach you how to use chakra properly, should anything like this happen again.”

“You know your audience, don’t you,” she propped up on the tips of her toes and landed a gentle little kiss on his lips.

Shikaku took her hand and led the way upstairs, itching to get the hell out of this god forsaken house. Suddenly he understood perfectly well all of her pain and rage – why she hated it here and why she was so desperate to run away. He understood it earlier too, but now being here, actually feeling what it’s like inside of the walls of her house, he couldn’t help but feel horrible on a whole new level for what she has had to go through.

All he wanted was to take her home, make her a nice meal and let her sleep for a week. Well, not entirely. He wanted to have her wrapped around him and his bed sheets with equal desire. Not that their voyage back home hadn’t been just that – them tangled together in love and passion.

They were at the front door of the manor, when her grandfather intercepted them. Shikaku saw it coming, really. He just hoped it wouldn’t happen.

“Yoshino,” the old man spoke and Shikaku heard her exhale loudly and groan before she turned to look at her grandfather, “you married this man, as it was your right. But know now that if you leave with him, you will not inherit your part of the fortune, as is my right to deny it to you. You will live off what he can provide for you – which is not a lot given the fact that he is a shinobi, and as such, he will probably die young, leaving you and any of the children you may have alone, with no one to take care of you. Make your decision wisely.”

Shikaku was losing his patience with this man. Somehow Yoshino seemed to have sensed this, and put her hand on his chest to calm him down and stop him from moving in closer to Ichirou.

“I would rather be his wife for a day than have all the gold in the world,” she bruised back firmly. Shikaku wanted to smile. She grabbed his hand and turned to leave, but then she stopped again, facing her grandfather one last time. “Oh, and I can take care of myself,” she spat.

“And you, young man. You are willing to take her even though you well know you can’t give her what she is accustomed to?”

“I can give her what counts,” Shikaku said and left the childhood home of his wife, with her at his arm.

* * *

There was nothing quite as beautiful as autumn in Konoha. It was the perfect season to gaze at the clouds. Perfect season for new beginnings.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was in the waiting room of Konoha’s hospital. It was close to midnight. Chouza was sitting on the bench and eating chips. Shikaku was lost in thought and Inoichi was pacing around the halls.

“Ok, can you stop? You are giving me a headache,” Chouza demanded. Shikaku slowly turned to look at him slightly confused but soon realized that it was Inoichi who he was addressing. Yamanaka stared at Chouza threateningly.

“My _wife_ is in labor!” The blonde yelled, his hands waving around limply. Shikaku never would’ve guessed Inoichi of all people would be as concerned.

“So is this one’s, but I don’t see him throwing tantrums,” Chouza said, “I still can’t believe you stole that girl and married her.”

“Now is not the time to reprimand me on my disrespect of the bro-code, Chouza.” Inoichi pushed on, “and I did not steal her, her engagement broke off long before I came into picture.”

“Oh alright, alright, settle down. How about we lighten up the mood? I bet you Yoshino will be the first one to have the baby.”

“I’ll take that bet,” Inoichi decided quickly, still pacing around and biting his nails.

Shikaku thought for a moment. “No bet,” Chouza and Inoichi shook their hands, and as if something straight out of a movie, one of the nurses showed up in the exact moment the bet was set.

“Shikaku Nara?” She asked and he jumped up from his seat. “Come meet your son.”

“When will you learn to never bet against him?” Shikaku had asked Inoichi before he followed the nurse into a delivery room, leaving Inoichi seriously agitated, and Chouza screaming with laughter.

When he walked through the doors of the room labeled with “410”, he saw his wife holding a little black-haired bundle of joy. Her hair was a mess, she was glowing with sweat and tears, her hands slightly trembling as she held on to the baby boy whose name they had already picked out.

Shikamaru Nara. The heir to the Nara clan. The boy Shikaku will train and teach all the secret techniques of the clan. One that will grow up to surpass both of his parents.

“Hey you,” he whispered softly as he approached Yoshino. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead and then her lips.

“Hi,” her voice was shaky and she started crying. She slowly handed their child to him and Shikaku’s heart was pounding so fast he was sure it is going to rip through his ribcage. He took his son and seated himself on her bed, right next to her. He held the baby gently, but tight, like he would never let go.

“Shikaku, are you crying?” She asked him. He didn’t even realize that tears were rolling down his face. He _was_ crying and suddenly he didn’t have the strength to say anything, only bent slowly towards her and rested his forehead on hers.

“No I’m not” he said quickly, but his voice echoed with emotion and weakness, “…don’t tell the guys.”

“Sweetheart,” she reached out with her hand to stroke his face gently and smirked, “you know I can’t promise you that.”

“Can we come in?” Shikaku heard Chouza’s voice and invited his teammates and friends to join them.

“Oh man look at this kid,” Inoichi said as he approached him from the back, peeking over his shoulder to look at the Nara heir, “one glance at him and I can already tell he’s the spitting image of Shikaku, a true Nara.”

The sentence filled Shikaku with great pride he never expected to feel just for the fact that his genes weren’t as lazy as he was. As they continued to stand in silence, all four adults observing the baby boy in his arms, a serene calmness filled the air.

Calmness that was interrupted by the same nurse from earlier.

“Inoichi Yamanaka?” She called softly.

“Yea?” Inoichi asked in a low tone, still staring at Shikamaru as if he were starstruck, rubbing the baby’s belly with his index finger.

“Congratulations, your wife has just given birth to your daughter?”

“Thanks,” he replied, evidently absentminded, and Shikaku stared up at him with a grin on his face.

“Dude?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you not hear her?”

“I heard her, my wife gave birth to a gi- _holy shit_!”

“There we go,” Chouza nodded.

“Oh my god, guys I’m a dad!”

“Congratulations, Inoichi,” Yoshino smiled softly, reaching her hands out to take their son from Shikaku’s arms into her own.

“And it’s a girl, that’s wonderful, oh! It’s a girl!” Inoichi paced around the room full of excitement until he suddenly stopped. “It’s a girl…”

“What’s the problem big guy?” Shikaku asked him as he stood up slowly.

“It’s a girl – and one day she will grow up and be beautiful, and every low life in town is then going to try to get in her pants, oh god!” Suddenly pale, Inoichi’s face turned to one of pure horror as the words sank in. “Oh no, this is horrible guys! What am I going to do?!”

Chouza and Shikaku started laughing hysterically.

“How about for now you just go and see her and your wife who just had to push out a human being out of her body,” Yoshino suggested with a stern look on her face that seemed to send chills down everyone’s spine. Inoichi seemed to have finally pulled it together and stormed out of her room in panic.

“This is the best day ever,” Chouza wheezed, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, “Oh man, this is just – fitting.”

The sheer irony of Inoichi having a daughter would never stop being funny.

“When can I take you home?” Shikaku asked Yoshino gently.

“I think tomorrow or the day after?”

“Good,” he smiled and leaned in to plant a kiss on his wife’s forehead, and another on his son’s.

Chouza threw his arm around Shikaku’s shoulders as if to praise him.

“So, shall we go see the Yamanaka kid?”


End file.
